KINGDOM FALL | ROBB STARK [1]

12

KINGDOM FALL
— 12. Quality Sibling Time

It had come as a shock to Annalys about how willing Brienne of Tarth was to agree to help Annalys free Sansa from her family's clutches and return her to her mother. As planned, Annalys only told the woman about Catelyn being alive and was with Arya in Riverrun. She didn't speak a single word about Robb and the fact that he was very much alive.

Once telling her the plan, Annalys walked out of the room that they were in and made her way to Maegor's Holdfast. She held a sword in her hand, which gave herself more relief than even the warm bath had the night before.

She gripped the sword in her left hand and lifted it, slowly making slashing motions with it while closing her eyes. She imagined herself in a duel and it was a real person she was fighting, not air. A genuine smile grew on her face at the thought of her time in the war of the Queen and Five Kings. It wasn't that killing people brought her comfort and joy, it was the feeling of fighting and carrying a sword. It gave her a rush that she couldn't explain.

She wasn't born to stay in a castle, wear silk dresses, and look pretty like her mother was. She was born to fight, to lead men into battle, like her father. However, in a way, she was in the same position as Robert Baratheon. He was forced to remain in a castle for the rest of his life and rule after winning the war. Never for a moment did he enjoy it either. He was different after that and Annalys feared in enough time, she would end up like him if she didn't carry a sword in hand every once in a while.

  However, it was a shame that she'd never find a sparring partner to duel against. There were numerous reasons for that, of course. The fact that she was a royal princess and also because the majority of people in the Seven Kingdoms were smart enough to never stand against Annalys. They knew her reputation and the people who witnessed her skills repeatedly claimed she was one of the best swordsmen to ever live. They knew she was far better than Jaime was at her age and some who were old enough to remember Ser Arthur Dayne claimed her to be just as good as he was, perhaps even better as the years passed and she had more time to get better.

"You look pathetic," A voice spoke up, causing Annalys sigh in annoyance.

She slowly lowered her sword and opened her eyes. She turned to face her younger brother, the same boy who fancied himself the King of the Seven Kingdoms, despite having no real claim to be so.

Annalys tightly gripped onto the handle of her sword, which Joffrey noticed. She could have sworn she saw him tense up at the sight and look uneasy. She wanted to smirk, but knew better than to do that.

"Ah, yes. Pathetic," Annalys sarcastically responded, taking a large step toward her brother. It was odd to see such a sight. Joffrey actually looked afraid, but why?

Annalys' eyes practically lit up as she glanced around to see none of his Kingsguard around. It was why he was afraid of standing before his sister. For years, Annalys was forced to endure her brother's constant torture and abuse, with no way to stop it because the guards always surrounding them constantly took his side because he was to be king one day.