The Emancipation of Rhaegar

Chapter 31

Thirty - One

Rickard watched as Brandon, his eldest, most trusted son, helped his new bride into her carriage. Next, he helped his sister, who rejected his hand and clambered in after her.

"Are you sure you don't want to take our ships? You'd only need one, two at the most," Hoster had asked him the day before. But Rickard refused. He had already spent far too long at Riverrun. Besides, he had been planning this trip ever since Lyanna and Robert's betrothal was made official. They'd go through High Hear, Acron Hall, Tumbleton, Grassy Vale and then make it, hopefully to Storms End safely. All the while, passing the Kingswood, which was inches close to his beloved daughter and now son. From then, he would bid farewell to Lyanna and return home. That was if, the King had decided to marry Rhaegar quickly. Something he hoped for and yet dreaded.

"Shall I go to the front or the back?" Brandon asked, taking his leather gloves from the squire's outstretched arms.

Rickard looked at him baffled. They had been preparing to leave for Storms End, Rickard was just getting over his second son's stupidity and his first son's ignorance when they had received word from Kingslanding. Shella Whent had been burnt at the stake, in front of the entire souths residing courtiers. He had been astonished, everyone except for Brandon was taking the news badly.

Merida, as expected, had locked herself in her room and had been left to her own devices. Catelyn and Lyanna tried to console the girl, but she would have none of it. Blaming Hoster for her mother's death. Hoster blamed himself as well, saying his goodbyes and calling his daughter into his study, of which she left with a mysterious silver box.

"Have you gone mad, boy?" Rickard barked. The whole courtyard stopped for a moment, looked at the encounter and slowly moved back to help the family get ready to leave.

Brandon frowned at his father. "No?"

"Do you have any idea where you have sent your brother Brandon?"

"Kingslanding," Brandon scoffed back as if to ask his father, obviously.

Rickard clicked his tongue and took the reigns of the horse that was being handed to him. He muttered to himself. "Kingslanding," he whispered. "Shella Whent has just burnt for asking for a castle back. What do you think Ned going unannounced, uninvited. You don't think he'll feel provoked?"

"He's supposed to feel provoked," Brandon snapped back, looking up at his father. "It was either Ned or me."

I've given him too much power. Rickard thought to himself. "Well, it should've been you." He retorted, watching as drawbridge was lowered and Stark guards began to march out of the castle. Their last piece of heaven before making the long journey to Storm's End and then back home to Winterfell. Rickard had thought many times whether he should send them home, there was no real reason for them being there. But by their rejection of the idea, he had assumed the meals and warmth they received under him at present was better than what they received at home.

Brandon looked at his father offended. "But Winterfell-,"

"Winterfell what?"

"Winterfell would need me. You would need me. Cat-,"

He was cut off, Rickard let out a cold laugh. "Need you?"

Brandon ignored the remark, opting to believe that his father was just angry with him. "If Arianne can survive Kingslanding," he said rolling his eyes, "Ned can."

"So what was the point of sending him? To make your position of power known? Are you competition to the King now? Sending your brother there as a companion. He'll be as useful as Oberyn Martell."