Family Secrets and Desires

Aftermath

"I'm not trying to sound harsh, but it has been over twenty years, you could not expect that I had not moved on with my life after I heard what became of your ship." Even now after an hour after the Starks and Ashara took their leave, Rhaegar could still hear lord Rickard Stark's taunting words.

"Honorless, bigamist, cunt, a man who took advantage of my daughter. If I weren't this old, not even my son's would've been able to hold me back from choking you for what you did to my daughter knowing full well you were already married."

"I'm not married my lord, not to Elia and probably not to your daughter with her using a false name," He recalled saying to her father who was taken aback by his words not knowing what to believe.

"You're a damn liar, my daughter married you under her name, not this fake Lya Stone name she gave you when you met. Did you ever look at your marriage certificate? My daughter may have lied to you and gave you a name that was not hers, but she is no fool to marry under a false name."

"She married you using her name, I can confirm what my father said to you, but unlike him, I won't call you a bigamist until you provide the documents showing that you were no longer married to Elia." With that Rhaegar watched as all three men left him there stunned.

Rhaegar could not think straight right after his words, knowing full well he never looked at the marriage certificate, Lya was the one who took care of it like everything else.

Elia snapped her fingers trying to get his attention seeing how dazed her once husband had become. Sure he was still handsome like finely aged wine, "of course I thought you might have moved on with your life, only a foolish woman would keep faith with her gods thinking her husband would remain married to her after the events of my ship being boarded and taken over by the Ironborn." Elia took his hands in hers trying to plead her case. "It was the only choice I had in finding out information after I heard one of the soldiers under captain Benjen Stark's regimen call out your name to another soldier wishing he was there on one of the naval ships instead of being on the shit infested rocks of Harlaw."

Rhaegar removed his hands from hers too upset, unable to think straight with the parting words that were spoken between him and the Starks. "And because of this, I now have Lya's family thinking of me poorly still when I should be the one that should mad at her and them for keeping my son a secret away from me!" He yelled feeling a headache coming on. Why was he always the one suffering? Was it due to him sending Rhaenys to live with his parents hardly visiting her why the gods punished him in never learning he had a son?

"You need to catch your breath and calm down Rhaegar, you make it seem like you don't have the documents to prove we are no longer married." She hissed out annoyed noticing he was not listening to her, just staring out into the Sunset Sea. "You do have the documents that state we're no longer married right?"

"Of course I do, I'm not stupid, Lya had to go on my paperwork in case anything became of me why I made sure to take care of that right away before we ever married. I wanted to make sure she was taken care of if anything happened."

Elia let a sigh out of relief, "good because I want to see my daughter, and the only way to do that is to leave for Winterfell with the Starks without figuring out a way to sneak into their castle. There was never a day that went by that I didn't think of her," Elia wiped a tear from her eyes trying to remain strong, not wanting to think of those years.

"You make it seem like Ashara would ever leave you behind, while I need to provide documents just to see my children." Rhaegar downed the drink he was pouring, he still had to speak to Elia of the horror their child faced because of his stupidity... Gods, how was he even going to explain any of this to Elia also? "There's something I need to tell you, something I only just found out about before I returned." He took her hand in his, "we should sit."

She removed her hands from his, not liking where this conversation was going nor the look he gave her. "No, I am not going to sit, I will stand for whatever it is you have to say. So please go on, tell me what became of our daughter Rhaegar? Seven hells, you were so quick to attack me for lying to the Stark's yet you stood here being almighty towards me when it seems you have kept your own secrets."

"I'm sorry, it's my fault for leaving her under my parent's care after your brother Doran said Rhaenys was not his responsibility, leaving me no choice other than naming my parents her caretakers."

Elia could feel her body grow cold, and it had nothing to do with the cold winds blowing from off the sea, "did you leave her with your parents because of your new wife? Did she not want anything to do with our child why you sent Rhaenys away? Please tell me you did not do something so stupid!"

"Lya didn't know about Rhaenys, I never mentioned having a daughter to her." The stinging slap was expected yet he knew more would come once he was done. She may never speak to him again once the dust was settled.

"What became of my daughter while she was in your parent's care? Since you gave not two shits of our child or her wellbeing."

"I do love our daughter, I just didn't know how to explain to Lya that I was married before or that I had a daughter. I was scared she wouldn't want to be with me if she knew my secret." Rhaegar started only to stop once another slap landed on his face.

"Cared enough to never mention her." Elia shook her head in disbelief wondering who was this man standing before her. "No, you never cared, a father who cares doesn't stay away from their child, doesn't forget to mention to the person he's marrying that he was married before and has a child. I don't blame her for walking out on you and never mentioning anything to you when it came to your son, it serves you right. Now you will tell me what became of my daughter." She spat, her hand twitching to physically harm him where he stood.

Rhaegar let out a long sigh unsure how to explain this to her.

"Well are you going to tell me, or do you plan on waiting until I arrive at Winterfell before you fess up?"

"What I have to say will hurt you, but know that ever since I have learned what happened, I have used whatever power I have in finding my brother."

"Tell me," Elia all but barked out at him, forcing Rhaegar to finally speak.

"Viserys physically abused both her and my younger sister, from the little I found out." He caught her hand before she managed to slap him once more.

Elia shook her head not wanting to hear anymore, her precious daughter abused by a family member no less. "You didn't care for her, a father who cares doesn't stay away from their child, stay away from me and my daughter, say nothing to me on this trip to Winterfell or my daughter, I will bring her back with me to Dorne."

"Where to a brother that didn't want her? And don't even say anything about your so-called favorite brother Oberyn, if he also cared instead of fucking everything that moved, he would've volunteered to take Rhaenys, he has seven daughters what was taking on the responsibility of one more girl."

"Fuck them and fuck you also, I have friends, and in case you forgot a sum my parents left me to help pay for that house we bought together. You know the home you took your new wife to?" She said bitterly not wanting to think if fucked this Lyanna Stark on the same bed they slept on. "I may not have much, but it's enough for my daughter and me to live off of, you are no father!. You are no one but a craven."

Rhaegar watched as his first wife stormed out leaving the door open no doubt back on her way to see Ashara and tell her along with the Starks just the kind of man he was and what she now thought of him. Pulling the blue ribbon from his hair, Rhaegar wondered if not for the first time why wasn't it him that was shot instead of Davos?

Wouldnt that had made everything better for him? Lord Rickard Stark doesn't believe him along with his two sons unless he provides that said proof. Elia hates him and for all he knows so does Rhaenys for leaving her behind. And then there's his son, the gods only know what he thinks of him, probably thinks him a craven also for walking away from his daughter just to be abused by Viserys. Was this the reason why he walked away alive? While Davos still remained asleep? Was he supposed to make right what he had done all those years ago for never mentioning he had a daughter all the while giving that said daughter to his parents to take care of?

Old and new gods help him if even his children looked down on him with contempt. He didn't know what he would do if they didn't want to have anything to do with him.