LION'S LEGACY | ROBB STARK [2]

2

LION LEGACY
2. Farewell

     Hearing that her plan had worked, Annalys was beyond excited. Daenerys Targaryen had sent a large fraction of her Unsullied to Casterly Rock to take the castle, only to end up attacked by Euron's fleet of ships. The men who had lived attempted to take the Rock anyway, only to learn that the secret passage Tyrion spoke of had been blocked off.

There, the majority of the remaining Unsullied were killed by Lannister soldiers while some were lucky enough to escape, but Annalys knew that no more than two hundred could have done so. Her men killed three thousand Unsullied during the battle, meaning that Daenerys Targaryen only had five thousand Unsullied now, perhaps less.

Hearing the information, Annalys practically skipped down the hallways of the Red Keep. She suddenly stopped, however, when she heard the familiar cries of Eddard nearby.

She walked in the direction of the cries, only to find her eldest son sitting in the corner while crying. "What's wrong, my love?" She spoke up, moving closer to Eddard with a concerned look on his face.

"I can't do it," Eddard cried as Annalys sat on the ground before bringing him into her lap, "I can't learn to read. Father has grown impatient with me. He thinks I will never how to read correctly. The words are backwards! How am I supposed to understand them? Lyanna's right, I'm stupid."

"Hey, you're not stupid," Annalys argued in a stern tone as she forced her son to look her in the eye before beginning to speak in a softer tone, "I can help you learn to read, alright?"

"How?" Eddard asked, a frown on his face, "Father says it's useless."

"He just doesn't understand what's going on," Annalys pointed out, smiling softly as she assisted them both in standing up, "You're struggling with reading and writing, just as I did and your grandfather as well."

"You know how to help me?" Eddard asked, a look of disbelief on his face.

"I do," Annalys confirmed, holding her son's hand in her own as she stared down at him, "And I will sit with you day and night until you've learned it correctly."

"What about the war against the Dragon Queen who wants your throne?" Eddard questioned, looking concerned, "Don't you have to leave to fight in the war?"

"About that..." Annalys trailed off, sighing in defeat, "Your father has just received a raven from Oldtown. The dragonglass we need to fight the bad men beyond the Wall is located in a cave at Dragonstone."

"Isn't that where the Dragon Queen lives?" Eddard asked out of curiosity, his eyes wide in concern.

"It is," Annalys confirmed, sighing in defeat, "Your father and I must stay put to think of a solution to that issue."

"Why don't you and father go to her and ask her to help?" Eddard suggested, causing Annalys to sigh in defeat.

"It doesn't work like that, love," Annalys told Eddard, an uneasy look on her face, "She wants me dead."