The Wolf Queen - Part 1 (Aemond Targaryen)

Chapter 43

Lyanna is standing outside the following day, sending off her men, watching them leave, when a surprise comes through the gates of Winterfell.

"Elise!" Lyanna yelled out and ran towards her previous handmaiden, enveloping her in a hug. Elise laughs and hugs her back.
"I am so glad you and your family decided to come here," Lyanna says as she steps back from her.
"I would rather be here, even if it is freezing. King's Landing is falling apart. It is chaotic. They are taking all young and able men from their homes to fight."

Lyanna calls a servant, "Please ensure they get one of our best lodgings."
The servant nods.
Lyanna squeezes Elise's hand, "I am delighted you are here. There are just some things I need to sort out, and then we can sit down and talk."

Lord Glover stands to the side, watching as Lyanna approaches him.
"Thank you for your help, Uncle." Lyanna smiles, "I am grateful to all the men who gave their lives for the North."
"They will do it again." he places a small rock in her hand, "Place this at your mother's grave for me when you get the chance."
Lyanna looks at the rock, seeing nothing special about it.
Her uncle sees her confusion, "When we made promises to each other, we used to fulfil them by giving each other a rock. Your mother was the one who started it. I want to return a promise to her."

She nods, "I will do that." she hugs Lord Glover, "Safe travels, Uncle."
Lyanna waits until her uncle and his men are gone before she goes to where Elise has been given a place to stay. She is glad they have been given a small place with enough room for her family.

"I hope this will be to your liking," Lyanna says as she enters the building.
Elise beamed at her, "This is more than we could ever ask for. Thank you, Lyanna."
She joins Lyanna for a walk around Winterfell. Lyanna informs her of everything that has happened, from the pregnancy to the wedding.
"Are you happy?" Elise asks and takes her hand.
Lyanna nods, "I think so. It is just the war that gives me sleepless nights. Prince Aemond is caught in the middle of it."

"That night, right after you left, he came bursting into my house, looking for you. The look in his eye was something I had never seen before. I am certain someone like him is hard to kill."
"Speaking of," Lyanna say as they enter the Great Hall, "I hope he was nice to you."
Elise pulled a face, "He was furious. Don't think one can be nice when you're angry."

Elise's hand shot out to Lyanna's neck, "What happened here?"
Lyanna stepped away, knowing very well that there are purple bruises on her neck from the altercation with Daemon the previous night.
"It's nothing, Elise. Please forget about it."
Elise stop her, "Did Aemond hurt you?"
Lynna laugh, "Why do everyone want to blame Aemond for everything?" she shake her head, "No, it was his uncle. Please, I don't want to talk about it."

They walk through the castle, Lyanna showing her where everything is.
"I think Cregan wil be very happy to see you." Lyanna say as they round the corner to his room.

And happy he was, jumping into her arms at the sight of her. It always astonish her how quickly he likes people and how easily he gets attached to them. Just like their mother. She was just like that. It must be a Glover thing.

°°~~°°~~°°

Three days have gone by. Elise have adapted well to working at Winterfell and helping Lyanna with whatever she needs.

It has just been too quiet. She have not received letters from any side of the Targaryen war, not even word from her spies. And it makes her very uncomfortable to just think about it.

She push her chair back from where she is sitting at her desk.
"Right," she say out loud, "To the Godswood."
Time to communicate through the weirwood trees, see if there are any visions waiting for her there. Maybe if she can see something, she will know what is going on.

She take her warm coat with the fur lining and throw it across her shoulders. It started snowing again last night and it is freezing cold outside.

She is hardly out of the castle before Maester Arwen come rushing towards her.
"My Lady," he greets, "A letter just arrived. It has the black Targaryen seal on it."
It must be Princess Rhaenyra. Lyanna take the note from the maester and open it, letting pieces of the wax fall into the snow.

To the Queen of the North

I am not someone who like it when trust is broken. Like the trust we placed in you for your men and you then deciding to not give them.
If the only way to get you to comply is to take something of value from you, then so be it.
How long ago have you heard from your brother? Yesterday perhaps?
If you want him back alive and unharmed, you will come to Harrenhal.
Alone.
Inform your bannermen to start marching as well. I will take them from you with force if I must.

Daemon Targaryen

The paper start to shake in her hands. Lyanna run back inside, up the stairs and down a long hallway towards Cregan's room.
"Cregan!" she yells out.
Bursting through his door, she find the space empty, with the windows open.
Lyanna close the distance between her and the windows, finding a bit of blood on the windowsill.

They took him.
"No!" she shout out the window, "You fucking bastard!"
She run out Cregan's room towards her own room to put on her riding leathers. Maester Arwen and Elise run after her.
"My Lady, is everything alright?" the maester asks.
She starts to undress before him, not giving a damn if he see her naked. He already saw more of her than most people.

"No, everything is not alright." she say as she strap the leathers tight, "They took Cregan."
"Who?" Elise asks.
"Fucking Daemon Targaryen." she say and grab her boots, "Maester Arwen you need to send letters to all my bannermen, inform them off the situation and that I might be held hostage at Harrenhal. I just get the feeling he will try to use me as a bargaining chip. Tell them that they will fight for the Greens. They must await orders from them."
Maester Arwen look confused,"Are you now seeing Aegon as your king, My Lady?"

Lyanna grab Vengeance, "You will also send word to Rhaenyra at Dragonstone. Also inform her of what is happening, because I am very sure she does not know about the kidnapping. You tell her that I will not bow before her, her husband now made an enemy of the North and they will feel it's wrath."
She walk to the door and open it, "Make sure to add that Winter is Coming for them. And their dragons won't be enough to keep them warm from the cold."

Elise run after Lyanna as she make her way out of the castle.
"You have to think this through, Lyanna. You are pregnant." Elise say and grab her arm.
Lyanna pull her along out into the snow, sending a ripple out to her wolves.
"I am much stronger than you think, Elise." the wolves come running from the Godswood, "I will be back as soon as I can."

Lyanna grab Shadow's face, looking into his eye, telling him what must be done. He bares his teeth.
Grabbing hold of his fur she hurl herself onto his back. There is no time to saddle a horse. A horse will travel to slow and she need to get there today.

"Let's go." she orders, feeling how her wolf starts running. She lay down low, shielding her eyes from the strong wind and snow hitting her face, making it feel like bee stings. Her other three wolves are close behind them. They will be there before the end of the day, and she will kill that son of a bitch, even if it is the last thing she does.