All Men Must Die (Game of Thrones Fanfiction)

Chapter XVIII

Nerillia was reading in the comfort of her room two days after the Tournament was over when there was a knock on her door.

"Yes?" She called.

"My princess, Lord Stark wishes to speak to you" Ser Preston opened the door just enough for her to listen.

"Thank you, Ser Preston, let him in, and make sure no one bothers us" Nerillia closed her book and put it in her table. Ned entered the room with a big book in his hands, "Lord Stark" Nerillia smiled at him and nodded shortly.

"Princess" he said, putting down the book next to hers, it was probably the biggest book Nerillia had ever seen.

"Light reading?" She asked, she sat down and asked him to sit with her. Lady immediately approached him and laid down at his feet.

"Jon Arryn was reading this book when he died" Ned told her, "so I decided to check it out, I still don't know why he chose this specific book, but I decided to read it"

"I respect you, Ned, you are an honourable man, but I am afraid that it is that same honour that is going to get you killed, here in King's Landing" Nerillia told him as she pulled the book he brought closer to her. It was about all of the Great houses of Westeros. Nerillia went all the way to the Targaryen house, "Aegon Targaryen, white-haired, purple eyes, died an infant at the Sack of King's Landing. Rhaenys Targaryen, black of hair, purple eyes, died a toddler at the Sack of King's Landing. Nerillia Targaryen, black of hair, green eyes, disappeared" She read aloud. Disappeared. As far as she knew, her mother and siblings had died two or three months after her disappearance.

"You and Princess Nerillia have the same nameday" Ned said, pouring himself some wine, "and the same physical description" he paused for a moment and looked at Nerillia, who kept looking at him with a soft smile. 

"You know, Ned, if you keep uncovering things like these, you'll truly get yourself killed" Nerillia told him, closing the book, "lucky for you, you told me and not my mother, lucky for me, this is not new information for me"

"You knew?" Ned asked in surprise.

"For not very long, but yes. You know, it was a great coincidence that Princess Rhaenyra, Prince Eddard and I were born only days apart. Eddard is buried in the crypt, I used to go there as a child, and mourn him, I don't know what happened to the real Rhaenyra's body, and I doubt I want to know" Nerillia said solemnly.

"Robert?" Ned asked.

"I don't plan on telling him, it would break his heart, and it would break the kingdom" Nerillia told him seriously, "what will you do with this information?"

"Nothing," Ned told her, "your father- Robert, has offered Mace Tyrell for you to marry Loras. It will be better for him to believe that his beloved daughter will be well in Highgarden"

"Do yourself a favour, Ned, stop going to the places Jon Arryn went to, stop uncovering the truth" Nerillia suggested him, "as I said, I respect you, and I truly believe you will benefit the Kingdom, but you can't do that from the grave"

"How do you know-?"

"As you might have discovered by now, everyone has eyes everywhere in this city" Nerillia took a sip of her wine and stood up, "you have to stay alive, Ned, if the King is to survive"

"You mean-"

"I mean that I don't trust the Queen, or the Lannister's for that matter. As strange as it may seem to you, my uncle Tyrion is the most decent among them all, and at the moment, your wife has him captive" Nerillia informed him and gave him a letter that had arrived from the King's Road. An Inn keeper she had helped had sent it to her, "you should tell your wife to let him go before the Queen and Jaime find out" Ned kept looking at the letter, he stood up and paced around.

"I'm sorry, Princess, I really must go" Ned excused himself and left the room in a rush.

The next day, Nerillia was walking in the garden with Visenya and Mya. The two girls were talking about the upcoming wedding. Mya would made Nerillia's dress, they would be wed at the Throne Room.

"Excuse me" they heard from behind, they turned to see Loras. Mya smiled at Nerillia, bowed and left them alone, "I was wondering if I could talk to you for a moment"

"Of course" Nerillia smiled and they both sat at a bench. Nerillia instructed Visenya to scare away any eavesdropper, "is it about the wedding?"

"Why, yes- Rhaenyra, you know I love you but-"

"I know, Loras. Look, this marriage is what is expected from us both. I don't care who you choose to share your bed with, we just have to play the part"

"Play the part? What does that even mean?" Loras took Nerillia's hands and pleaded with his eyes for her to make any sense.

"We will marry, and we will have children eventually. No one is ordering us to fall in love, Loras, we just have to carry on with this" Nerillia sighed and put a hand on his cheek, "I know it is not what you want, my friend, but the sooner we get married, the sooner you can return to smuggling Renly to your bed"

"Okay" Loras sighed and smiled, then kissed her cheek, "I guess I'll see you in the wedding, then"

"Yes, you will" Nerillia was aware that someone was watching from the balcony, but she didn't dare to look up, they couldn't hear what Nerillia and Loras were saying, but they were clearly observing, "someone is watching"

"I know, your brother has been watching you since before I arrived, I'm afraid he is not very fond of me" Loras joked.

"He is not happy about the betrothal, but that is part of why I'm insisting about the marriage, Loras. I have to get away from him, you have no idea what he has done, to others and to me. I live in fear of what will happen to the kingdom when he is king" Nerillia looked at Loras with fear in her eyes, and he knew her enough to know that it was true.

"Don't worry, Rhaenyra, you won't have to be here much longer" Loras told her compassionately, he kissed her softly on the lips and stood up, he took her hand and walked her to her room. Nerillia knew it was unfair to as that much from Loras, but this made it easier for her plan to get in the right track.

Joffrey looked at Nerillia and Loras with hatred. He wished he could stop the wedding, he wanted to have his sister to himself. He had not been able to get close to her sister in the time they'd been in King's Landing, she always had her lioness next to her, and he couldn't just kill the beast, his father would know, and gods help whoever hurt his favourite child. Joffrey looked at the pair with disgust, how they touched each other, how they kissed each other, he should be the only one able to touch her, he felt entitled to Nerillia, she was his, he made sure of it in Winterfell. When he was king, he'd make sure to bring Nerillia back from Highgarden, and he wouldn't let her out of his sight ever again.