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THE EYRIE, THE VALE / KINGS LANDING, WESTEROS - 281 AC~297 AC
Lysa Arryn knew that her marriage to the lord of the eyrie was not a marriage of love but of alliance. Still, deep in her heart, she hoped that Jon Arryn had some love left in his chest to give. When she found out she was with child, she prayed to The Seven to at least let her husband love this child, if he could not love her then he could at least love his child.
With her husband still off to war, Lysa had to endure the difficult pregnancy by herself. She got very sick, and the maester was even worried their lady or her child would not survive it. Luckily, the gods were kind and the mother had watched over Lysa's pregnancy. When her lord husband finally returned to the Vale, she was already heavily pregnant and the maester had told her the babe could arrive any day.
After a difficult birth, Lysa Arryn finally gave birth to her child. A daughter, the maester had told her. After that news, Lysa felt as if she was a failure. She was scared for what the future held for her, not wanting to go through another pregnancy, but needing to fulfil her duty to Jon.
When Jon met his daughter, Lysa could see the love on his face—the love that she had never received. She was overwhelmed with emotions, anger towards Jon, sadness towards the love she should have received and jealousy towards her daughter.
Lysa did not want to hold her child. She did not want to see her face, or hear her cry. It would only remind her more of her own failure to produce an heir.
Jon on the other hand, was immediately smitten with his daughter. She had his eyes. Her beautiful grey eyes. He was completely entranced by his firstborn child. He of course considered Ned and Robert his sons, but it wasn't the same. He was given to give this child everything, teach her everything he knew and bless her with his all.
"She will be called Rhea. Rhea Arryn." Jon said out loud. "This is a day of celebration."
Lysa wanted nothing to do with Rhea. She wanted to go home to her sister and her father. She wanted nothing to do with her failure.
Lysa called out to her lord husband; "Take her with you to King's Landing. I do not want to see her face ever again!" She yelled with the energy she could conjure.
The maester looked concerned, and told her; " My lady, it is better for the babe if—" "I do not want to see her ever again!" Lysa yelled towards him, interrupting the advice he was going to give. "Take her with you, Jon. I do not care anymore," she said, directed towards him.
Jon had kept quiet after Lysa began yelling and instead chose to silently listen. Now, he spoke up; "Fine. But you have no say about her after this. If she comes with me, she never has to be associated with you. She will grow up to be my heir. My child. Not yours."
After Jon spoke with emotion in his tone, Lysa just stared at him and nodded her head, agreeing with what he was proposing. A weight was immediately lifted off of her heart, and she laid back down on the bed. The maids and maester immediately began to take care of her and a wet nurse took Rhea from her father's arms.
Jon stormed out of the birthing chamber, angry with his wife for leaving Rhea without a mother.
A couple of days after the birth, Rhea, her wetnurse and her maid joined Lord Jon on his journey towards King's Landing, where he was to be The Hand of the King to King Robert. He would provide wisdom and sound advice to the man he called a son while also spending as much time as he could with his daughter.
Rhea Arryn grew up in King's Landing, never even having visited the land she would one day inherit until she was six years old and her mother gave birth to a son. Robin Arryn was a small sickly boy. His father did not have much interest in his son, given Jon still not had forgiven Lysa for the words she spoke all those years ago. It also did not help that Robin did not inherit those grey eyes that had been in the Arryn family for generations.
Rhea was a smart girl. She had clearly inherited her father's best traits. At the age of six, she already knew what a bastard was. Still when she held her little brother for the first time, to her none of it mattered. Robin was not at fault here. Her mother was.
Even though she would have liked to have a brother to see grow up, she also did not mind leaving the eyrie after a couple of days. Sure her brother was sweet, but Rhea did not miss the hateful stares her mother gave her every time she would be in her vicinity. In Rhea's eyes was Lysa not her mother. The closest thing she would have to a mother was her maid back in King's Landing.
Helene had been her wetnurse, feeding Rhea since she was just a mere babe. She taught Rhea everything her father couldn't, like how to sow, how to braid hair and even how to sneak out of her room. Helene originally came from Dorne, being a bastard of a smaller house did not give her anything to live for, so she travelled to King's Landing in search of a better life.
Over the years, Rhea was taught everything by her father. The histories of Westeros, how to be a good leader, war strategies and he even made her learn High Valyrian so she could read the books on the Targaryen Dynasty. She also was taught how to handle a short- and longsword, how to fire a bow and how to fight without weapons.
Jon often shared the things that were being discussed in the small council. She had to then give her own opinion on it and explain why she would handle it that way.
She truly was becoming her father's daughter. She wanted to become his legacy. And she was well on the way to achieving it.
......
word count: 1148
pip talks!
so I wanted to at least make a start with this book, not sure how the story is going to progress but I already am secretly more interested in this story than in my James Potter one.
Let me know if you have any plot suggestions, and as always, please point out any grammar mistakes so I can correct them
