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The Crimson Dragon - Chapter 26: Swords
🕑 Added 2025-04-08 13:00:07 +0000 UTCKing's Landing
Mysaria pressed a hand against her forehead as she listened to the people sitting at the table with her, a headache beginning to emerge.
"As I have said, getting rid of taxes is not an option." Lyonel said, a sharp edge tinting his voice as he spoke.
Kella frowned, "It would not be a removal of taxes all together, but a reduction and removal for certain individuals who cannot afford it. Do you think a homeless man should be forced by Gold Cloaks; to pay fees he has no means to pay for?"
Harwin stepped out from behind his father's chair at the head of the small council chamber's table, his brows furrowed. "My men are not criminals shaking citizens down for coin."
Clarton let out a laugh, "If you truly believe that, then you should give more attention to what your men do when they are not under your oh so watchful eye."
Harwin glared at Clarton, "And why should I believe you? Any of you?"
"Can we focus on the matter at hand?" Daven sighed, looking back at Lyonel, "We were given jurisdiction over King's Landing, how are we supposed to exercise that jurisdiction, when you refute everything, we try to do?"
"You were given authority on a temporary basis, and every action you take must be with approval from the small council and the King. And with the absence of both, you need my approval." Lyonel stated, "And I do not believe this idea has merit."
"Should we at least not be given the opportunity to see if it works?" Connas asked, "Reducing taxes for the most destitute, could help with the city's current homelessness problem by giving them a reprieve."
"Or it will encourage them to trick the system. How many would be given this reprieve? And how would everyone else in the city feel to know that they are not being treated the same?"
Once again, we are getting nowhere. Mysaria thought.
She and the other members of the civilian council had come to realize quickly that the small council would do whatever they could to try and block any law, reform, or regulation that was brought before them.
The power they thought they would be given to them was being heavily restricted by the nobles above them, much to their ire.
"Again, you do not know that for sure, Lord Hand." Mysaria said, "The Crown will not be robbed blind by having a few dozen saved from the cells because they cannot afford to live."
"They are in the cells because they break the law." Harwin said strongly.
"Crimes they only commit because they have no other choice if they want to live." Vyrero uttered.
A knock at the door interrupted the discussion and an attendant entered the chamber, bowing to Lyonel. "My lord, Ser Robsy seeks an audience with you."
"Is it an urgent matter?" Lyonel asked.
"He did not say." The attendant answered.
After a moment, Lyonel stood up, "We will finish this conversation at a later time."
With that, the Hand of the King left the small council chamber, Harwin followed his father, but not before giving the commoners sitting at the table a sharp glance.
"Dealing with these people is like pulling teeth." Kella said aloud once the chamber doors closed.
"Something we all expected when this council was created." Harlario stated, his exhaustion with the whole affair evident on his features.
Connas tried to voice a suggestion, "Perhaps we can write to the princess-"
Sylvi laughed, "And what would she be able to do? You overestimate her influence and authority."
"Then let's just do the tax reduction anyway. Show them how well it will work." Clarton said, leaning back in his chair.
Aran scoffed at this, looking at Clarton with contempt, "So that the Hand can immediately shut it down? Not only that but we would loss our power, and I don't know about you, Clarton, I am not willing to lose what has just been given to me."
Despite the irritation that they all had over the small council trying to cut them down, Aran had already noticed a difference in how they were treated and viewed by the public.
The smallfolk were starting to revere the members of the civilian council, seeing them as proof of how far one can climb even without the benefits of noble blood. And the nobles he had seen were weary, not sure of how to act around them, not knowing if the new status they held would be a permanent one.
But even then, the idea of there being a new faction, one with power of its own, meant that they were new variables to shake up the game of thrones that those of nobility knew as everyday life.
And so, they were given enough respect by the nobility as to not be rude and alienate what could end up being an ally and turn them into enemies.
And if we survive long enough to reach the King's six moon deadline, then our power will grow to be cemented. Aran thought.
"We will not be doing that." Mysaria said, looking at Clarton sharply, "Instead, we will be showing the Hand why this proposal is necessary."
Daven raised an eyebrow, "And how would be doing that, Grand Chairman?"
Unlike the rest of them who were given the title of master and authority over one facet of the city's governance, Mysaria was given the title of Grand Chairman.
Her role was to speak directly to the small council on the behalf of the civilian council and relay information between both, something that Lilyanna said was better than having everyone in the same room and getting nothing done due to their clashing personalities and temperaments.
Along with that, the Grand Chairman was to supervise the other members of the council, voice the council's intentions to the smallfolk, and be the deciding vote on any laws they wish to bring to the small council's attention.
Essentially, the Grand Chairman was the civilian council's version of the Hand of the King, and the one who ruled the council in absence of any royal authority.
While most of the council had no issue with Mysaria being given the position, Aran had voiced his disapproval, adamant that Mysaria did not have what was necessary to lead.
But in response to that, Lilyanna rolled her eyes and said, "I don't know or trust any of you, either at all or very much, so course I would pick Mysaria. I don't trust any of you not to fuck this up, especially not someone who feels the need to pick a fight with everyone he comes across."
Aran had nothing to say after that, only able to seethe in his chair as Lilyanna moved on, seemingly having deemed him no longer important.
"It is our responsibility to let the people know the decisions that have been made for them by the Crown. We would simply be telling them all what has been decided for them."
Daven chuckled, "You play a dangerous game, Mysaria."
"The only game worth playing." Mysaria said.
Vyrero leaned forward, an amused look in his eye, "And Princess Lilyanna will not have a problem with this?"
Mysaria's expression remained the same, "She will not."
Mysaria knew that Lilyanna would indeed find issue with what she was about to do, but Mysaria knew that for all Lilyanna's posturing, she would reluctantly relent when she remembered that Mysaria would do what she pleased regardless of how Lilyanna felt about it.
"If that is all for today, then I declare this meeting to adjourned."
Mysaria watched everyone else leave and waited for a few minutes before slowly standing and leaving the chamber herself, ignoring the nobles, servants, knights, and guards who stared at her as she did. By the time she reached the courtyard, the carriages of her fellow civilian council members were already gone.
The civilian council had been given the offer to live in the Red Keep during their trial, something that no one accepted on the excuse that they all had business to run that demanded their attention, and that it would only be necessary to convene in the Red Keep when their duties called for it.
And while this was not a lie on any of their parts, the true reason for refusal was a matter of safety. It was clear as day that Princess Lilyanna's 'peasant project,' as some looser tongues had taken to calling the civilian council behind their backs, was deeply unpopular amongst the residents of the Keep.
They were not foolish enough to stay in a place where they could so easily have their food poisoned or their throats slit in their sleep, because the nobility viewed them as threats to the natural order.
But we knew the dangers when Lilyanna came up with this idea. And it's far too late to have regrets and fears. Mysaria thought as she finally returned to her manse.
Garrat was standing outside, ready to greet her, "Mistress."
"Garrat, have you learned what Larys is planning?" Mysaria asked him once they were inside the manse.
Garrat shook his head, "Larys Strong continues to act as is his norm, but his rats have been skittish these last few days, especially his flea."
Msyaria sighed, "So nothing has changed?"
"Nothing has changed." Garrat repeated.
Mysaria had found it strange that Larys had chosen to stay in King's Landing when most of the court had followed the royal family to Dragonstone.
Yes, his father and older brother had to stay due to their respective duties as the Hand and Commander of the Gold Cloaks, but Mysaria was also aware of Larys' obsession with the Queen, so it was confusing as to why Larys would allow Alicent to be out of his sight for what could be weeks or even moons.
And the spymaster felt her intuition being justified when she and her spies noticed how suspicious Larys' own spies had begun acting.
It must be something against me, King's Landing has always been too small for two spymasters to coexist. Larys must be deciding to act now that I have been brought into the Keep.
It frustrated her that she could not figure out Larys was plotting, and she did not want to wait until the man finally acted.
All she knew was that it had to be something terrible, it could be nothing else when the Clubfoot was involved.
~X~
Dragonstone
Lilyanna walked through the streets with a critical eye, disappointed but not surprised by everything she saw.
Shadecross was the only real town on the island of Dragonstone, the other two, Mistpoint and Scaleshell, fielded smaller communities of about four dozen people each. Shadecross was nestled on the southeastern part of the island.
The town was not different from what one would imagine a medieval style town to look, the only difference being the population of mostly dragonseeds that inhabited it.
If King's Landing is anything to go by, the Targaryen family is just really bad at caring about its citizens. Or maybe all nobles are like this, and I just haven't seen how bad it is because I've only been to two other places before now. Lilyanna thought, seeing that the dirt, human excrement, and the homeless that lined the streets.
Lilyanna had finally managed to escape her mother's watchful eye and make her way to Shadetown unaccompanied, needing to see if the blacksmiths of the town would be able to make her swords that she could wield without issue.
She had sneaked into the stables, procuring a horse for herself as it would have taken her too long to walk, leaving the horse on the outskirts of Shadetown, not wanting to draw attention to herself by riding in on such a well-kept and groomed horse.
Only time would tell if she came back and if the horse would still be there and having been stolen.
If I can't find anyone, I suppose I will just have to leave my dream of dual wielding behind me, well, only if I find myself in a fight. I can still keep training with Ser Criston, otherwise it would have been a waste of all of our time.
Lilyanna did not react at first when she noticed a man staring at her from the corner of her eye, looking her over, his eyes remaining on her satchel. But he quickly looked away when she made eye contact with him, pushing her cloak to the side and revealing hilts of the two swords on her hip.
"You fucking cunt! I thought I told you that if I saw your face around here again, I'd slice it off?" Lilyanna found her attention drawn to an alley next to her at the sound of an angry and gravelly voice.
A couple of feet away a group of four young men stood in a half circle, their backs to her as they surrounded another young man who was on the ground.
Lilyanna noticed that they were all dragonseeds, each one having silver hair of various shades of silver and lengths.
The man lying on the muddy and dirty ground chuckled, giving the men above him a coy grin, "Oh, come off it, Simon. You can't still be mad about a little jape?"
Simon, who Lilyanna assumed was the ringleader, stepped forward, his body larger and thicker than everyone else's. "Saying in the middle of a tavern that you would fuck my sister again, was a jape?"
"Well, not really a jape, just being a bit too truthful then." The man said, his chuckles now trailing off awkwardly. "I said I was sorry."
"Sorry?" Simon spat, "You think being sorry is enough? You ruined her! Now, that she's spread her legs for you, no man will have her now! Her marriage options are gone!"
The man on the ground scoffed at this, "Simon, let us be serious, I'm not the first man who has fucked your sister, and I won't be the last. You are only mad because now everyone knows she isn't a maiden."
Simon glared at the man, rushing towards him, and kicking him hard in the stomach, causing fallen man to cry out in pain.
"Let's keep him from fucking anyone else." The man on Simon's right said, pulling out a dagger from his pocket.
The man on Simon left, unsheathed a sword, pointing it at the man they were surrounding, "After we kill him, we can see how much we can get for his clothes and everything else he has on him."
The fallen man's eyes widened as he realized the threats were serious, and he tried to crawl away, "C-can't w-w-we t-talk a-a-about this?"
The four ignored his pleas, moving closer to him, making it clear that they intended to carry out their attack.
"Hey!" Everyone turned around at the sound of Lilyanna's voice, watching as she entered the alley. "Leave him alone."
Simon sneered, "This has nothing to do with you, little bitch. Now walk away before we kill you too."
Lilyanna glared at Simon, "It became my business when you said you were going to kill him. Now, leave him alone, before I make you."
This caused the four men to laugh, finding the idea of a little girl being a threat to them the most hilarious thing they had ever heard.
The man on the ground frowned, as if accepting his inevitable death, having to faith in Lilyanna's ability to save him, and questioning why she bothered getting involved.
Lilyanna unsheathed one of her swords, pointing it at the four men, "I find it fucking pathetic that you disgusting pieces of shit feel the need to gang up on one person. It's nothing but a showing of your own weakness."
The laughter immediately ceased, and now each man had their swords and knifes brandished, glaring menacingly at the young girl.
She is going to die. The man thought, sitting up on his elbows, watching as Simon ran at Lilyanna and beginning the fight.
But his eyes grew large as he watched Lilyanna easily sidestep Simon, turning her body to kick Simon in the back, sending him crashing one of the walls.
Seeing their leader fall to the ground, the other three men charged, Lilyanna ducked under the overextended swing of the sword wielder, quickly moving forward and slammed the pommel of her sword into his stomach.
When he folded over, Lilyanna grabbed him by the collar and used him as a human shield, blocking the knife that had been coming towards her. The man who she was holding cried out as the knife became embedded in his shoulder and causing man who stabbed him to let go of the weapon in shock.
Lilyanna threw the injured man into Simon when she him starting to stand up from the corner of her eye, sending them crashing to the floor.
The third man screamed as he pushed past the second, trying to cut Lilyanna down with wild swings.
Lilyanna easily avoided the strikes, before grabbing the man's arm with one hand and bringing her sword down with the other, cutting off the man's hand.
"Argh!" The man screamed, falling to his knees when Lilyanna released him, holding his now bleeding appendage, looking between his arm and his hand, seeing in laying on the ground next to his dagger in a growing puddle of blood.
Lilyanna let out a sigh, a bored expression now resting on her face, "Are you four done now? Or do I have to remove more body parts?"
It did not take long for the four men to run as fast as they could, none one of them looking back as they tried to get as far away from Lilyanna as possible.
Lilyanna sheathed her sword, turning her head to look at the man behind her, "Are you well?"
Now that Lilyanna was able to get a good look at him, she realized that he was younger than she thought he was, looking to be at least seven or eight years older than her. He was pale skinned, his face long and gaunt with dark purple eyes, tall and scraggly, and his hair was cropped short and stark white, like freshly fallen snow.
The dragonseed let out a sharp laugh, his eyes alight with shock and relief, "That was... I don't even fucking know, but I loved it! How did you become so skilled? I never seen anyone, much less a little girl move the way you do!"
"It was nothing." Lilyanna said, holding one of her hands out and pulling the young man to his feet.
Lilyanna could tell before the fight began that the four men had no formal training, their lack of proper stance, their wild swings, and the quick loss of composure only further proved this suspicion.
Not that Lilyanna was surprised to see this, only nobles and those with wealth could obtain formal instruction at the hands of a skilled and renowned knight or warrior. Commoners could try to become guards or men-at-arms, but their skills paled in comparison to their richer and prodigious counterparts.
So even with their superior numbers, they could not do much to Lilyanna, a girl who had been trained by a Kingsguard and a man who was regarded as one of the best swordsmen alive.
I should thank Ser Criston next time I see him, it's his training that has gotten me to this point, especially all the training that has been given in the aftermath of my attempted assassination. Lilyanna thought.
"Stay safe then, if I were you, I would spend as little time outdoors as possible." With that, Lilyanna was going to leave, but her hand was grabbed, and she was stopped.
"Wait, can I at least get the name of my beautiful savior?" He gave her a smoldering look, but to Lilyanna it just made him look constipated.
Is he serious? Lilyanna made a disgusted expression, pulling her hand out of his, "My name is Lily, and I will never be interested in someone like you. Ever."
If he was offended by Lilyanna's word's, the young man did not show it, instead smiling genuinely at her before laughing. "Well met, Lily. I only meant to show my gratitude."
"Sure, you were." Lilyanna said sarcastically.
"Don't act coy, it's not every day that someone rescues the great Ulf!" He said, pointing to himself when he said his name, "I'm sure you are feeling mighty proud of your feat."
Lilyanna kept the shock from appearing on her face, maintaining a placid look, "I'm I supposed to know who you are?"
Ulf?! What the fuck?! What do you mean you're Ulf the White?! Why the hell do I keep running into book characters in the street?! I mean, this has only happened twice, but still! Lilyanna thought.
Ulf let out a dramatic sigh, dropping his head, "That hurts."
Lilyanna cleared her throat, trying to leave again, "Sorry, but I truly must be going now."
"Going where?" Ulf asked following Lilyanna out of the alleyway.
Lilyanna fought the annoyed sigh that wanted to escape her lips, "To a blacksmith."
Ulf's eyes lit up, "I know a blacksmith, the greatest blacksmith on Dragonstone, no! The greatest blacksmith in the Narrow Sea! Let me take you to him, as a show of my thanks."
"You want to help me?" Lilyanna asked, her surprise evident in her voice.
From what she knew and had seen of Ulf, he was a sot, a thief who told tall tales and lies just as easily and as frequently as he breathed, a coward who hid behind others and who quieted himself when in the presence of the strong, and a betrayer who grew into a cruel, vicious, and power-hungry rapist once given the power of a dragon. So, it was shocking and suspicious to hear him offer to help her and to act so kindly.
"Of course, you saved my life. It would only be right to repay to for risking your life for mine."
Lilyanna narrowed her yes, "I'm not going to fuck you."
"I know, you made that pretty clear." Ulf said, "And I don't force women into my bed, and even if I did, I wouldn't try with you because I don't want to end up like Jon."
"Jon?"
Ulf huffed, a smirk now resting on his lips, "That's the name of the cunt who's hand you left on the floor there."
Ulf then pointed to the severed hand lying on the ground nearby.
"Oh." Lilyanna said plainly.
The lack of reaction only made Ulf laugh, "I'm guessing you must be new to Shadetown if you don't know who those twats are."
"You could say that." Lilyanna shrugged, "Although I get the feeling their reputation isn't all that impressive if with you slept with one of their sisters without a thought of the consequences."
"You're young, I'm sure you'll understand that when you see someone pretty enough, you damn the consequences when given a chance to have their heart."
I doubt that will ever happen. Lilyanna thought, "I'm pretty sure you just wanted her cunt, not her heart."
As Rosalind, she had experienced attraction to people, she had even enjoyed causal sex when the moment arose, but she had never wanted a committed relationship.
At first it was because she viewed most relationships as a waste of time that would only distract her from becoming successful and when she became a doctor, it was because she feared having a relationship like her parents.
Marsha had genuinely loved Ethan once upon a time, why else would she keep Rosalind, why else would she have married him, why else would she have been so heartbroken after he left them behind?
Rosalind never wanted that for herself, to put her heart in the hands of another only for them to throw it away once they were done with her.
And this was certainly not something she wanted now as Lilyanna Targaryen. She had lived too much life to ever fall for the trappings of love.
Not that I would be capable of loving another person like that, much less being loved by them in return.
~X~
Lilyanna perked up when she saw that Ulf had led them to the same smithy that she and Alicent had been passing on their trips to the island's sept.
The building was small, with cream-colored walls and a thatched roof, there was a small amount of open space behind it, no doubt the land was cleared for the blacksmiths to work in outdoor furnaces.
"I see you have a good eye." Ulf said, seeing Lilyanna's reaction.
"And you truly know the blacksmiths inside?" Lilyanna asked, looking at Ulf dubiously. "You don't come across as a very truthful, 'Ulf the Great,' man who needed a girl of twelve summers to save your life."
"You are proving to have a tongue just as sharp as your sword, Lily." Ulf said with a pout.
"I have been told that many a time." Lilyanna admitted.
"I can see why." Ulf muttered, walking up to the door and entering the smithy.
Lilyanna followed him inside, there was nothing out of the ordinary about the smithy. The walls and tables were lined with many weapons, armor, shields, ornaments, doors hinges, locks, and keys, along with various tools and equipment used to make these things.
And the end of the smithy, stood a man of average height wearing black clothes, with a balding head of black hair, a full beard and tanned skin. He was covered in soot and sweat, and when he looked up and saw Ulf, he frowned.
"Ulf, I thought I told you that you weren't allowed inside here anymore?" The gruff older man said, looking at Ulf with distaste.
Ulf groaned, "Oh, come on, Cyrus, I said I was sorry, I didn't mean to break that fancy looking sword you made. But look on the bright side, I helped you see that you needed to work on it some more."
Cyrus glared at Ulf, "Why are you here?"
Ulf smiled, pulling Lilyanna forward, "My savior here is in need of a blacksmith, so I decided to bring her to the best one I know."
Cyrus looked Lilyanna over, before chuckling, "Your savior is a little girl? I knew you a weaking, Ulf, but this is a new low even for you."
"You say that, but Lily here, is a master warrior!" Ulf exclaimed before giving his own retelling of what happened.
Good to see he's still a liar. Lilyanna thought, listening to Ulf wildly embellish the fight between Simon and his underlings.
Instead of fighting four men, in Ulf's story she fought ten, and instead of only removing one of their hands, she also decapitated two of them and cut off the legs of three.
Cyrus looked at Ulf blankly, "There is no way in all of the hells that actually happened."
"Not like that, but I did save him from being killed by a small group of men." Lilyanna said, ignoring the offended squawk Ulf made at Cyrus' words.
Cyrus sighed, "Well, if you're a paying customer, I see no reason to refuse your service, even if your taste in friends is questionable."
Ulf crossed his arms when Cyrus gave him a pointed look with his last words, "I'm a great friend to have."
The other two people in the room ignored Ulf's exclamation as Lilyanna stepped forward, pulling out her two swords. "I have been having problems using my two swords congruently when fighting, even though I can hold them easily enough, I always end up off footed when I try to use them."
"You have been taught to dual wield?" Cyrus asked, "Not many would take on such a challenge."
"I have been called an overachiever." Lilyanna said.
Cyrus hummed, "The average Westerosi swords are made to used one handily or with both hands. It's not a matter of swordsmanship, but the weight distribution of the blade not being suited for your style."
"I was told this by other blacksmiths I have gone to, but none knew how to make swords that would solve this problem. And the few who did, wanted to charge me a ludicrous amount because of in their words it would take too much time and effort to do." Lilyanna explained.
Cyrus scoffed, "More like they were trying to steal all your coin and pass of shitty work as good."
I figured as much, but I had just assumed it was because they knew I was a princess and were trying to extort me, not because they were trying to scam me so throughly. Were they that confident I would not have them punished for giving me subpar swords if I had accepted their deals? I guess they know that I wouldn't have, and even if I wanted to, I would have to explain to others why I was in the city to begin with.
"So can you, do it?" Lilyanna asked.
Cyrus gave Lilyanna back her weapons, "I can't, but my apprentice can. He is well traveled and has experience making many different weapons."
Ulf jumped into the conversation, "That's who I was talking about when I said I would take you to the greatest blacksmith I know."
Cyrus rolled his eyes, "You're going to give that boy a bigger head than he already has talking like that."
Ulf only grinned, "So?"
Cyrus frowned, "The boy hasn't been come by again."
Ulf's smile fell, "The little one has gotten worse?"
Cyrus nodded his head, and Ulf let out a myriad of curses under his breath.
Lilyanna looked between the pair, "What is wrong with your blacksmith?"
The two looked at each other before Cyrus spoke, "My apprentice hasn't been coming to work because he has a daughter who has been sick these past few weeks. Her health hasn't gotten better, no matter what he and his wife try to do."
"I know that maesters do not often treat those without status, but have no healers been able to help?" Lilyanna asked.
Cyrus shook his head, "They haven't, if anything, some of their treatments made the girl worse than she was before."
Lilyanna rested her hand on her bag, "What is the child's illness?"
"The shivers." Cyrus answered, his fists clenched.
It became understandable how grave the situation was, the shivers are an illness that progresses quickly, one that started with a chill, then shivering that got progressively worse, until it is so bad that the teeth chatter and the arms and legs convulse uncontrollably. And when the end was near, the lips turn blue, and the victim begins to cough up blood.
The shivers seem to be an advanced form of pneumonia or possibly the flu. "Will your apprentice have an issue with me taking a look at her?"
Ulf let out a laugh, "So you fancy yourself a healer as well?!"
"I contain multitudes, Ulf." Lilyanna said before looking at Cyrus again, "Will he mind?"
"You are a child; how can I know that you can help Sava?" Cyrus asked.
"You can't, but as you said she is already sick, should not every option be taken to ensure her survival?"
"And why are you doing this? Because you want my apprentice to make your weapons for you?" Cyrus began to glare at the young girl before him.
"Your apprentice is a blacksmith, if I just wanted my swords to be made, I would simply wait for his child to die, and for him to inevitably return to work." Lilyanna ignored the way Cyrus and Ulf flinched when she said this, "Knowing that there is someone out there that I can help, often compels me forward. Not being able to for one reason or another, burns me more than I care to admit."
The images of the smallfolk of Dragonstone, King's Landing, and Trystane flashed through her mind, followed by the scene of the sky she had been staring up at as she bleed out on the asphalt of a grocery store parking lot, stared at but ignored by the people who watched her get murdered and decided it was not their problem.
Lilyanna shook her head, dispelling the dark thoughts, "So will you take me to them?"
~X~
The home that Cyrus had led Lilyanna to, was a short walk from the shop. It was small, squeezed between two other houses, and was made from the same materials as the others.
Cyrus knocked on the door, and waiting for a few moments, the door was opened by a woman around Ulf's age with long tangled black hair that was pulled back, dark brown eyes, brown skin, and was dressed in rumpled clothes.
There were dark circles under her eyes, her cheeks were slightly sunken, and she gave the men in front of her a weak smile. "Cyrus, Ulf, I'm surprised to see you both together. And not fighting with each other."
"How are you doing, Kat?" Cyrus asked.
Kat glanced at the ground, "I have been better."
"And Sava?" Ulf asked, his face showing an uncharacteristic amount of worry.
Kat did not answer, and a feeling of dread fell over the group for a moment.
Cyrus cleared his throat, stepping to the side and allowing Kat to see Lilyanna, "We have brought someone who wishes to help."
Kat blinked, "Excuse me?"
Ulf grinned, "Don't let her age fool you, my savoir here is very capable. At least with a blade, I don't know about medicine yet, but she heard about Sava and wanted to offer her help."
Kat became even more confused, "Savoir? What are you talking about?"
Before Ulf could spin a tale about their meeting, Lilyanna spoke, "I know this seems strange, but I believe I can help your daughter with her illness."
Kat did not say anything for a few moments, looking at Cyrus and Ulf once more before slowly stepping aside, allowing them inside her home.
The home was just as humble inside as it was outside, the room they entered seemed to be the home's dining room, bedroom, kitchen, and living room all rolled into one. Everything inside was of an older quality, and there was just barely enough space to maneuver about.
Inside the fireplace was a roaring flame meant for the occupant of the bed in front of it, a small girl around the age of four who looked a lot like Kat, who was shaking and shivering despite the fire and the blankets that were wrapped around her.
Sitting next to Sava was a mountain of a man with long dirty silver hair that was pulled back in a low ponytail, a full beard that sat on a strong and jutting jaw, large hands, and watery purple eyes.
Oh, no. Please don't tell me... Like with Ulf, this man's appearance tickled something in the back of Lilyanna's head, a familiarity that put her on edge.
"Hugh, Cyrus, and Ulf have come to visit. And they have brought someone with them to look at Sava." Kat said as she closed the front door.
God damn it! Lilyanna thought as her suspicions were now confirmed; the man before her was Hugh the Hammer, the second of the Two Betrayers.
And with his wife and daughter existing along with Hugh's face, which bore a striking resemblance to certain portraits that Lilyanna has seen in the Red Keep and Dragonstone of a young Jaehaerys, he was most likely the bastard son of Princess Saera Targaryen as well in this world.
What kind of fucking luck do I have? Now I know the Gods are just messing with me at this point because this is just way too much to be a coincidence!
"Who is this?" Hugh asked, looking Lilyanna quizzically but remaining seated next to his daughter.
This time Lilyanna was not able to speak fast enough to keep Ulf from regaling Hugh and Kat with his version of their meeting.
He really doesn't know when to shut up. Lilyanna thought.
Hugh let a small, amused huff when Ulf finished his story, looking between his friend and the redhead. "I honestly can't say I'm surprised to hear that you ended up in a situation where someone wanted to kill you. This would make it, what, the fifth time this year?"
"Piss off, you ass. You act like I'm going about demanding people do harm unto me." Ulf retorted, his tone lacking any heat or anger.
"You might as well be." Hugh said before turning to Lilyanna, "You saved Ulf, but that does not explain why you have come here."
"I wanted a pair of swords commissioned for myself, but Cyrus had told me that you had not come to work due to your daughter's condition." Lilyanna explained.
Hugh frowned, "I won't be going to the smithy now. And if you think you can change my mind-"
Lilyanna lifted a hand, stopping Hugh, "That is not what I want. I heard Sava is sick and that no one has been able to help. I wish to."
"And you think that you can succeed where skilled healers have failed?" Hugh asked, staring at the young girl with an incredulous look on his face.
"I do." The princess said frankly, "You have exhausted all your options. Can it truly hurt to let me try?"
The large man stared at her strongly, looking for any hint of deceit or hidden agenda. "Why? What is in it for you? We cannot pay you; we have already paid the healers we sought before."
Lilyanna looked at Sava, the toddler was now sleeping, although her body still shaking. She then looked back at Hugh, "You daughter is sick, and I have the ability to help. That's pretty much it."
Hugh let out a laugh, staring at Lilyanna in disbelief, "So that's it? You are a bleeding heart who can't stand to see a little girl in pain?"
"Believe me or don't, it matters little. Will you allow me to save her life, or no?"
Hugh looked back at his daughter, watching as her body racked with shakes, her skin flushed with fever, and her lips beginning to turn blue. He did not want to admit it, but Sava was not getting better, and she would surely die if her health remained as it was now.
It hurt his pride as a man that he could not obtain better care for her, that he and Kat had to scavenge their meager savings just to afford woods witches and condemned healers whose abilities proved worthless in their time of need.
And seeing Lilyanna standing before him, did not inspired hope within Hugh. He could believe that she truly fought and chased off Ulf's attackers, he could tell by the way she carried herself that she was a trained fighter.
But healing was not an art so easily learned, there was a reason why maesters spent so many years in the Citadel earning their chains. And it was because of their knowledge that maesters served the lords and nobility of Westeros that could afford services, not the smallfolk who at times could barely feed themselves.
It was why people like Hugh and his family had to rely on traveling and village healers as they had no other option.
Should I have written to mother? She would have sent a learned healer for Sava if I had asked, would she not? Hugh thought, thinking about the woman he had not seen or heard from in many years.
But Hugh knew that it was far too late now to change his mind, no healer his mother could possibly send would get to Dragonstone in time to save Sava's life, if they even had the ability to do so.
Hugh looked up when he felt his wife touch his shoulder, a saddened and desperate look on her face. "It cannot hurt to try, Hugh. I... I cannot lose her."
Hugh placed his hand on top of Kat's, turning back to Lilyanna, "Please, help our daughter."
Lilyanna nodded her head, walking past the couple and standing next to the bed, looking down at Sava, "She has had the shivers for a few weeks now, yes? Quite unusual, the shivers is supposed to be a quick killing illness."
"That is what the healers told us; she has all the symptoms of it." Kat said, "They were also surprised that Sava... that she has not died yet."
"Strong girl." Lilyanna murmured, "What kind of foods has she been eating? How long has she been sleeping for? Has she been drinking enough water?"
Kat blinked surprised by the quick questions, "Uh... She has been having trouble sleeping for long, so she does so every couple of hours, and she had trouble keeping food down, so we try to give her fish stew and bread. And she is drinking a cup of water a day, and sometimes milk, it's hard Sava keep down drinks as well."
Not too bad, defiently not good either. Lilyanna took a breath, "Does your marketplace have a wide variety of herbs, meats, and spices?"
"Yes, it does."
"I will have to stop by there another time then. Sava is a growing child with a weak immune system, she needs more nutritious foods and fluids to fight off the illness. Force her to eat and drink if you must, even if it's uncomfortable. Also, do you have towels or rugs?"
Everyone watched Lilyanna walk towards one of the windows, Hugh looked at the girl with doubt, "We do. Why?"
"To put them inside of any openings you have in your walls, windows, and doors and prevent any air from escaping or entering. Warm and damp air can facilitate breathing and keep the throat from contracting, relieving the irritation in your nose and throat. If your throat and nostrils are lubricated, you tend to cough less, which allows you to breathe easier." Lilyanna explained.
Hugh quickly stood, moving to carry out what Lilyanna said about covering any openings in his home.
"You should also consider giving Sava hot baths, or at the very least putting her face above hot water, the steam will do her good. Also, can I have a pot filled with water? I have some ginger that we can make into tea for her to drink."
The next few hours passed in much the same fashion, with Lilyanna giving Sava the tea she made, checking on her intermittently, and telling the girl's parents what they should and should not be doing.
When Lilyanna looked out the window and saw how low the sun had gotten, she clicked her teeth, "I must leave."
Kat tried to speak, "But-"
"I will be back tomorrow." Lilyanna promised, "But I truly must leave before my family becomes worried about my prolonged absence. Especially my mother."
Ulf heard the last thing Lilyanna muttered, giving her a teasing grin, "Don't tell me a girl who can cut off a man's hand, is afraid of her mother?"
Lilyanna rolled her eyes, "You haven't met my mother. Otherwise, you would understand my trepidation."
"Well, if she raised you, then perhaps it's for the best that I don't." Ulf mused.
You have no idea how true that is. Lilyanna though before looking at Hugh and Kat. "Have you remembered what I told you?"
"We do." Hugh said with a nod, "And you promise to come back?"
Lilyanna looked away from the desperate and hopeful faces of the two parents, a strange feeling swirling in her gut. "I don't break my promises; I will be back tomorrow."
Lilyanna packed up her things and left the home, not looking back, still feeling conflicted as she made her way back to her horse and rode towards the castle.
~X~
Helaena blinked once Lilyanna finished recounting the events of her day, "You have the weirdest luck, Lily."
Helaena watched as Lilyanna paced in front of her as she sat on her bed, she could see her sister overthinking with each step she took.
"I don't even think I should call it luck anymore." Lilyanna said, "I mean, meeting both Betrayers? And their friends with each other? I don't remember them knowing each other before becoming dragonriders. And why did I promise to help Hugh's daughter?"
"Because you are a good person." Helaena stated, "And you don't want what happened to you to happen to anyone else."
Lilyanna sighed, "I shouldn't have done that, I should have run the second Ulf told me who he was."
Helaena frowned, "Why?"
Lilyanna looked at her twin incredulously, "Why?! Did you not hear the fact that they betrayed both sides during the dance?! They're murders and rapists!"
"So were most of our family members." Helaena argued, "We both know what Aegon, Aemond, mother, Criston, Rhaenyra, and Daemon do during the war, and that has not stopped you, either of us, from trusting and caring for them, besides Daemon."
"I know but-"
"And what about Mysaria? Is she any more trustworthy than Hugh and Ulf? Or what about Trystane? Did he not claim himself King and tried to rule King's Landing?"
"You know, Helaena is right; you have put your trust in others that you could argue you should not have." Lilyanna turned her head to glare at Rhaenys, the former Queen having suddenly appeared, sitting next to Helaena.
"This is a private conversation!" Lilyanna exclaimed.
Rhaenys looked at her older siblings, both of whom were now standing on either side of Lilyanna, "She does remember that private conversations do not exist between us, yes?"
"I believe it's her emotions getting the better of her, in this instance." Visenya said.
"You people are doing this one purpose." Lilyanna said, referring to the two speaking as if she was not in the room.
"The Conquerors?" Helaena asked.
"The Conquerors." Lilyanna confirmed, as it was not the first time the three had appeared before them in such a way.
"Do you still worry over possible betrayal from those two?" Aegon asked, "From what we know, their constantly shifting allegiances was because of the idea Jacaerys had to allow dragonseeds the chance to claim dragons, and for Rhaenyra legitimizing them. The power went to their heads and gave them the delusion that they could reach higher, that it was their right to bite the hand that fed them. This should not happen now with Aemond having claimed Silverwing."
Lilyanna pursed her lips, "There's still Vermithor."
Aegon raised an eyebrow, "I doubt Hugh is thinking of taking Vermithor at this moment or later in the future. Such a thing is not a concept in his or Ulf's minds."
"But he could." Lilyanna said, "Especially given his parentage."
"Parentage?" Helaena asked, struggling to follow a conversation that she could only hear one side of.
Lilyanna sighed, "Hugh is the bastard son of Saera Targaryen."
Helaena's eyes widened, "Are you sure?"
"Yes, he has a wife and daughter in this world, that's the mark. But... I don't know."
From what she remembered, Hugh in House of the Dragon only went to Dragonstone after his daughter died and his wife left him, but none of that has happened yet.
Helaena drew her sister's attention again, "You still have not said what this is truly about. As I've said, you have trusted and helped others with dubious futures, why are they different?"
"Because I don't know what I'm doing anymore!" Lilyanna yelled.
A silence filled the bedroom as the older Targaryens and Helaena stared at Lilyanna, surprised by her outburst and her admittance.
Lilyanna sighed, "I know that my purpose is to keep our family from killing each other and preventing the Dance, but everything is different now, too different for me to rely on the information I had before. Jace, Luke, and Joff are trueborn, Visenya is alive and a Velaryon, mother and Rhaenyra are getting along, Laena is alive, her son is dragonborn, Aemond has claimed Silverwing, Rhaena now has Morning years before she should, Viserys is healthier than he is supposed to be, and now this? Meeting Ulf and Hugh? I've made so many changes that, I'm basically walking blind now, who the fuck knows what's going to happen in the future. How do I know that I'm not making things worse?"
She could feel it, this precipice of change that she was now standing over, it was hard to know if everything she was doing was going to work in the end.
"You don't." Visenya said.
Lilyanna turned to the woman, looking at her confused, "What?"
"You don't know if you are making things worse." Visenya elaborated, "But this is the risk you knew, what we all knew could be possible when you were brought here. If you make a mistake no matter how small or large, then simply fix it when it appears."
Rhaenys sighed at her sister's blunt approach, "Visenya..."
Visenya was unrepentant, "It is the truth. Being cautious is a good trait to have but worrying too much about what could happen is pointless and can leave one unable to act. Focus on what is happening now and what you are capable of controlling."
While she still held her worries, in a way, Lilyanna did find Visenya's words to be comforting and reassuring. "Thank you."
Visenya waved this off, "Besides, you fail to see the benifet of this situation."
"And what benefit would that be?" Lilyanna asked.
"You saved Ulf from being murdered, and you are going to save Hugh's daughter from her illness. This will gain you more allies who will feel indebted to you for your selfless actions. You should not fear disloyalty from them but see them as like Trystane."
It was easier with Trystane because of how young he is, and because I knew that he would be and is being used, Hugh and Ulf decided of their own volition to double cross everyone. But Helaena wasn't wrong about me trusting everyone else despite knowing what they are capable of.
Lilyanna groaned, rubbing her hands over her face, "You guys really chose the wrong person to reincarnate."
"No, they didn't."
"No, we did not."
Helaena and Aegon said simultaneously, causing Lilyanna to snort.
Dreamers...
She found herself relaxing, however, her troubles and worries leaving her for a brief time.
Comments
Kas the Weeb
I will be going further into this, let's just say that Lilyanna is gaining some allies.
Kas the Weeb
Mysaria and the council is going through it with all the railroading. And Larys is gearing up for his 'get rid of my family'. And you're not wrong about the writer's blockπ Like there are certain things that I have planned from jump, but I'm mostly just writing chapters as I go on. When it comes to Lilyanna's love life, it is coming but it's still going to be a while. But it will hit her hardπ
Erika Sommerfeld
So now the Betrayers owe the Champion... Interesting
KaeKat
Mysaria definitely has her hands full with the counsel and now Larys. This be overreaching from me; Lilyanna's exclamation makes me thinks it's a allegory for fanfic authors' writers block lol That said, really liked Visenya's response to that, very grounded. Also getting insight on Lilyanna's thoughts on love is a damn tease for the future.
