Game of Thrones: Short stories.

Love out of time - Part 2 - Petyr x Reader

"But why must I go father? I have no desire to go to Kings Landing, I would rather stay here with mother and the boys." (Y/n) protested, as she slumped down in the chair across from her father.

Ned knew how much she hated the thought of leaving Winterfell, of leaving her mother, Robb and the boys; but Ned needed his oldest daughters assistance with her sisters while he undertook his new role as Hand of the King, and no matter how much she protested, he knew that eventually she would agree to accompany him.

"I need you to come with me, I need you to watch over your sisters........" Ned began, finding himself cut off mid explanation by a rather angry (Y/n).

"So, you mean I will be forced to listen to Sansa endlessly drone on about how wonderful that fool Joffrey is, and watch as Arya plays knight in shining armour, while I will be bored out of my mind." (Y/n) huffed, as she crossed her arms definitely across her chest.

Ned couldn't help but stare at his oldest daughter, the dark rings under her eyes were getting bigger by the day. She had been struggling to sleep for some time now, and when she did sleep, she was woken by a strange recurring dream that she claimed was in fact a memory of a previous life. (Y/n) had told her mother about the dream, about the man she called Pet-Ebar, how she had loved him, and how the dream would always end in the same way, with their deaths.

"Did you sleep last night (Y/n)?" Ned asked, as he watched (Y/n) rub her eyes with the heels of her palms.

"For a little while. The maestre gave me some milk of the poppy, he said it may help, but it didn't. I am so tired father, even when I am awake, I see the man's face. It's as if I am being haunted by a spectre that will never leave me. It's not that I don't want to think of the man, in fact I find that I am wanting to think of him more and more, it's just......... it's just that I fear that I will only ever see him in my dreams." (Y/n) sighed, as Ned came to stand by his daughter, pulling her head gently into his side and brushing his fingers through her long hair.

"I know you would rather stay with Robb and the boys, and I know your mother would be glad if you stayed; but I need you (Y/n), and you know I would not drag you to Kings Landing unless I really had to. And maybe some time away from here would help, maybe in new surroundings that dream will stop." Ned said hopefully, smiling softly as (Y/n) looked up at him, rolling her eyes as she knew that her father would have his way.

"Very well, but no one said I had to like it." (Y/n) chuckled softly, as her father took her face in his hands.

"Thank you (Y/n). I promise that I will make it up to you." Ned said, helping her to her feet and walking her out of the room so that they could join the rest of the family for one last night together.

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Petyr walked through the halls of the Red Keep, more tired, more exhausted, more irritated than he had ever been before. He had done everything he could think of to escape the dreams; he had drunk more than his fill of good wine from his cellar, taken milk of the poppy, even tried to prevent himself from sleeping at all, but no matter what he did every night he would have his vision.

"Ah, Lord Baelish, coming to greet the new Hand?" Varys asked, as he came up behind his rival, startling the whoremonger from his thoughts.

"I have better things to do than waste my time with Ned Stark." Petyr scoffed angrily, causing Varys to stare at the Master of Coin. Varys was used to having subtle battles with Baelish, the two men always trying to outdo the other, always ignoring that they were in fact the two sides of the same coin; but Varys had never seen the usually cool whoremonger react in such a way, and he couldn't help but be intrigued as he watched his rival storm back off into the depth of the old Keep.

Of all people, Petyr hated Ned Stark more than any other. The man had stolen the only woman he had loved, and he hated the idea of having to kowtow to Ned now that he was the new Hand of Robert, even though he knew that he would have to eventually make it seem as though he held no grudge, he was not really in the mood to make nice to a Stark.

Petyr sighed heavily; the night before had been the worst night he had had. The vision had been stronger than ever before, his mind filling with a desire, a love for the woman in his dream that he had never felt before, not even for Catelyn. It was a need, an ache, and he couldn't dismiss it; it was eating away at his very soul and he was finding himself incapable of thinking of anything other than her face.

"Baelish. You are going the wrong way." Robert said, stopping the Master of Coin dead in his tracks.

"The wrong way for what, Sire?" Baelish asked absentmindedly, as he tried to shake the image from his mind.

"The wrong way for greeting my new Hand and his family." Robert told him, almost forcing Petyr to change direction, and follow him outside to where everyone else was waiting for the Starks to arrive.

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To say that the journey to capital had been difficult was an understatement, and as (Y/n) rode behind her father with Jory by her side, the captain of the guard keeping a close eye on his charge, she couldn't help but wish their journey was over, feeling strangely relieved at seeing the great city.

"Are you well my lady?" Jory asked, as looked at (Y/n), smiling slightly as she turned to look at him. He would never dare admit it, as he was only a mere captain, but he had had his eye on the oldest female Stark child for as long as he could remember, and was always more than happy when he was assigned to watch over her.

"I am well Jory, thank you. I just wish that I had not allowed my father to talk me into accompanying him to cesspit of filth and depravity. The only good thing is that I have been able to spend time with my favourite captain." (Y/n) said, smiling as Jory reached over and grasped her hand, as she tried to ignore the smell and dirt of the capital city.

"The pleasure is mine, my lady." Jory assured, reluctantly removing his hand as they finally made their way into the courtyard of the Red Keep.

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Petyr stood reluctantly next to everyone else, ignoring the fact that Ned Stark and his entourage had just arrived, too immersed in his own thoughts to care about what was going on around him. So immersed in his own thoughts was he that he that he failed to see the beautiful woman that had been helped from her mount by her father's captain of the guard, so immersed was he in his thoughts that he didn't notice as her father took her hand and led her over towards Robert so that he could introduce the two, so immersed was he that only when he heard the voice that had haunted his dreams, did he turn his eyes to the source of the sound, his heart pounding violently in his chest as he looked upon the face of the woman in his visions.