court of lies | robert's rebellion

the north remembers

"so, tell me little wolf; do you want to punish those who have wronged you?"

282 AC, Riverrun

"Now remember,", Brandon told to Lyanna with a cold tone as the bridge to the castle opened for them. "we will avoid creating problems, not helping them to exist."

"You should tell that to yourself, not to me.", she answered with an equally distant tone.

They have been like this for the past moons, ever since they returned from Harrenhal. Brandon refused to share their father's amiable approach to the entire situation. He didn't care what influence and richness they would have if the prince truly took an interest in his sister. He would kill the man before he allowed him to take her as a mistress. His sister was not a whore, not in this life, not in any other life. And while her equal distaste for the situation did warm him up a little, he still couldn't forget the way she dared to wear that flower crown even after everything.

Ever since she was born, Brandon dotted on her dearly. She was their only sister after all and it was their duty, his duty to protect her from the outside world. He taught her how to ride a horse, took her hunting with him, read books to her and did everything he could to offer her shelter. Their mother died when Lyanna was nothing more than a baby, she possessed no memories with her and their father was not the kind of a man who would sit down and talk about his deceased wife. Brandon did everything he could to make sure both Lyanna and Benjen knew who their mother was and how much she would have loved them.

Lyarra Stark was indeed a remarkable woman who carried many great talents in her. Her wit and understanding of the world was unusually logical and level-headed for a woman and Brandon knew while it was the fact that they shared the same blood that drove their father to her in the first place, it was her wit who kept their father in the marriage. Lyanna resembled her, not only in name but in looks as well but there was a very stark difference between both women when it came to their characters; their mother knew when to act and when to stay passive, when to speak and when to remain silent. She wouldn't even dream of challenging Rickard's authority, which was what made him take her counsel, and carried herself with such elegance that even the most prideful Northern Lord would bow to her willingly. Their father, just like her, was cold and distant. They wore their titles as a shield and never forgot their bannermen were just their bannermen, not their friends, not their family.

Brandon wondered how on earth Lyanna came out of them.

Yes, she was clever, she so very obviously had a brain inside her head, yes she was very much of a Stark and had ice in her blood but she possessed an entirely different character. She was passionate and so very brave, had a very strong sense of justice and couldn't endure unfairness -as she showed to the entire realm during the tourney, she had such a big heart that found herself friends even amongst servants and she was a dreamer with big hopes and big dreams. Brandon wondered if it was because she still was a child but Lyanna did have a soul, something their parents never had. If Brandon would think a little more in this subject he would realize Lyanna took after him, the only person who ever tried to form a bond and not parents whom she had never seen or never were there for her.

His anger was not directed to Lyanna. She still was a child with much innocence, she had no idea of the real world, of the true interest of men. She could so easily be persuaded because she didn't know better. No, his anger was directed at himself because he couldn't teach her better. He couldn't bring himself to shatter the dreamy version of the world she had seen. Lyanna thought everyone was good or possessed some goodness in them. Lyanna thought if you did everything right and well then you would not get punished. Lyanna thought if you were good, only goodness found you. She had not a single clue about how the real world worked and it was Brandon's own failing to make her see that, his own softness for his only sister and she almost became a lunch to that incest-born depraved prince's desires.