The Children of Spring

Prologue

17 YEARS AFTER THE FINALE OF THE YOUNG LIONESS

It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining and it was warm outside. It was the first day of Spring.
Lannisport was crowded with ships from trades and people coming and going like waves. However, in a glade near the port and away from the turmoil, for that was the most famous port situated in the Westerlands, a family was having a good time. The Payne-Lannisters of Casterly Rock, or so people had called them for the past 17 years.
Joanna and Podrick had their own family by then and the Westerlands were theirs to rule. Apart from that, Joanna was also Master of War at the Small Council. And at that time, she had taken a few weeks to come home and be with her family.
In the glade, where they had spent most of their time when duty allowed it, Joanna and Pod were sitting in the grass, in a towel, watching their children playing.
Next to them sat Marianne, she liked to play, however at 16 she was more interested in sewing and reading, than playing with swords like her younger brothers and her eldest sister were doing. Marianne had brown hair and brown eyes. She was very clever and a lady in all aspects.
Jenny was helping her brothers with the sword practicing. She was the eldest child of Joanna and Pod, she was at the time 17 and she could fight as well as her parents, she did not like to be a lady, even if she had to know how, due to her station. Jenny had blond hair and brown eyes. As the eldest daughter, she felt responsible for her brothers and sister. Jenny and Marianne were very close, despite being very different.
The twins were practicing with each other, following Jenny's instructions the best they could. With 14, James and Thomas were almost as good as their sister when it came to swordfighting. Thomas had brown hair and brown eyes and was more introverted, while James had blond hair and green eyes and was more extroverted. They were inseparable, still all the four siblings were very united and close.
"They're getting better." Pod said.
"They had good teachers to help them." Joanna said.
"I just taught them what you and Brienne taught me. The rest was you and Jenny." Pod said.
"Did you know that Aemon Targaryen, the Dragonknight, was Lord Comander of the Kingsguard?" Marianne asked, she was reading a book and she always asked these kind of questions whenever people were near.
"I did not know that, Mary. Thank you for telling me." Pod said and Marianne smiled.
"Did you know that your uncle was Lord Comander as well?" Joanna asked.
"I did know that, do you think that there will be some book about yours and father's and our family deeds someday?" Marianne asked.
"I don't know, perhaps..."
"Many years from now, maybe." Pod said and Mary smiled and went back to her book. Joanna and Pod looked at her and then at Jenny and the twins again.
Everything was wonderful, until Maestre Araon, the maestre asigned to the Rock by then, came to them with news.
"My lady, my lord, may I speak with you for a moment?" the maestre asked.
"Of course." Joanna said. She and Pod went to talk to the maestre some steps away from the children, however every one of them looked at them suspiciously.
"What is it?" Pod asked the maestre.
"A raven arrived from Winterfell." the maestre said and gave Joanna the letter.
Joanna broke the sigil, a direwolf of the Starks, and read it:
Dear friends and family,
It's with big concern that we write you with the news that Winterfell is besieged and we ask for your help. The enemy atacked suddenly and without warning. An army of outsiders is presently outside our walls. We believe this army came from the Free Cities and we have no idea of how they come to get here unoticed. We desperatly need your assistance.
Sansa and Tyrion
Joanna took her hand to Pod's and squeazed it a bit, without saying a word. She was still processing what she had just read.
"What happened, Joanna?" Pod asked.
"Winterfell is besieged."
"What? How?"
"I don't know. They don't say." Joanna answered and gave him the letter. Pod read it and was equally shocked as she was.
"Is everyone alright?" Jenny asked. Suddenly Joanna and Pod realized that the children were next to them.
"Everyone is fine. The news were that... Winterfell is besieged." Pod answered.
"What? How did that happened?" Marianne asked.
"What are we going to do?" Thomas asked.
"Is there going to be a war?" James asked.
Pod looked at Joanna and she looked at him. They were concerned about their family and about leaving the Rock, however they knew that the two of them would probably have to go to battle, not knowing what they would face. How could they tell that to their kids?
"We don't know how it happened. We are going to help them and there might be a war." Joanna said.
"We're going to KingsLanding. To prepare for whatever comes." Pod said.
Meanwhile, in Tarth a raven arrived as well. The maestre of Tarth came to Jaime and Brienne with the menssage. They were in the beach, Jaime and Brienne were watching their children having a good time.
Galladon and Catelyn were playing in the water with the other kids. Galladon was the eldest child of Brienne and Jaime, he was 17 at the time, he loved to fight and sail. He had blonde hair and blue eyes. He felt responsible for his sisters and tried to protect them the best he could, sometimes they did not make it the easiest of the tasks.
Despite, her brother and sister being playing in the water, Joan was sitting in the sand watching them, or better she was watching the boys that were playing with them. Tarth was an island and everyone knew each other, still none of the lads in that island were like the ones that she had heard from the songs.
Catelyn and Joan were twins and 15 at the time and close, still they could not be more different. Catelyn had blonde hair and blue eyes, she loved to fight and hated being a lady. And, Joan had blonde hair and green eyes, she loved being a lady and loved the songs and tales from all Westeros that were in the books.
"You know that Jo is looking at the boys, right?" Jaime asked Brienne.
"What if she is? She is 15."
"Nothing, I was just saying..."
"You're being overprotector." Brienne said.
"I am not! I'm just concern-" Jaime said.
"My lady, my lord, may I have a word?" the maestre said when he got to them.
"Of course." Brienne said.
"A raven from Winterfell." the maestre said and gave her the letter.
The menssage was the same. Winterfell was besieged and at the break of a war, for what it seemed.
"Winterfell is besieged..." Brienne said and gave Jaime the letter.
"We have to go to the Capital." Jaime said.
"I'm going to call them." Brienne said and went to call the children.
Few time later, they were the five in the Great Hall.
"What happened?" Gal asked.
"We recieved the news that Winterfell is in trouble and they need our help." Jaime answered.
"What kind of trouble?" Cat asked.
"They are under siege." Brienne asnwered.
"How did that happened? Winterfell is one of the hardest place to make a siege on." Gal said.
"Is there going to be a battle or a war?" Jo asked.
"We don't know how it happened, and there might be a battle, yes." Jaime said.
"We are going to KingsLanding tomorrow." Brienne said.
At the same time, in KingsLanding Jon and Jorah were practicing swordfighting in the yard of the Red Keep, while Daenerys and Rhaella were embroieding and Lyanna was watching her brother and he father atentively.
"Come on, Jorah!" Lyanna said.
"Well, thanks a lot, little princess." Jon said, while fighting.
"Sorry, father, but he is in disadvantage."
"That's good to know." Jorah said, while fighting too.
"Aren't you tired yet?" Daenerys asked.
"It's impossible to get tired of fighting." Lyanna said and all laughed.
"You are always the same." Rhaella said with a giggle.
Jorah was 15 at the time and was the eldest of the Targaryen children. He had black hair and brown eyes, he loved to fight and wanted to be like his father one day. Lyanna was 13 and wanted to be a knight since she began to talk, on the other hand Rhaella was 12 and wanted to be a lady, like her mother. Lyanna had black hair and brown eyes, while Rhaella had silver hair and violet eyes.
At some point, Jorah and Jon stopped the training and The Grand Maestre came to them. Sam went to Jon and Daenerys and asked,
"Your Graces, can I have a word?"
"Sure, Sam. What is it?" Jon asked.
"A raven from the North." Sam said and gave him the letter.
Jon read it and was surprised and concerned with it. Then he handed it to Daenerys. She read it and said,
"We have to get the kids out of there."
"The dragons." Jon said and then, after explaining what was happening to the kids, they went to the dragons and went to Winterfell.
At night in Casterly Rock, Joanna and Podrick were in their room, talking about what they might find when they got to the Capital.
"Do you think we'll get there on time?" Joanna asked.
"We have to." Pod said.
"17 years of peace and now this..."
"They're safe and the kids too. We are going to get there on time and we'll deal with what we find."
"I was still hoping that we wouldn't have to fight anymore, after the Battle of KingsLanding." Joanna said.
"I know. Me too." Pod said.
"We really have to get back, this time is different."
"Yes, we do. Still after all this time, it continues to..."
"Feel like old times?" Joanna said.
"Kinda." Pod said.
"You still have the nightmares?"
"From time to time, when you're away mostly, you too?"
"You know me. Of course, I have them. Mostly when I am away from home." Joanna said.
"Remember that night in the Riverlands?" Pod asked.
"The one before we went to Winterfell the first time, right?"
"Yep, that was a good talk..."
"I was needing it. Would you do something different if you could go back?" Joanna asked.
"No... except I wouldn't waste so much time to tell you how I felt." Pod answered.
"Me too." Joanna said smilling.
Then they went to each other and kissed... after a few seconds there was a knock on the door.
"Somethings never change..." Joanna and Pod said with a chuckle.
"Come in." Pod said.
Their daughters came into the room and closed the door. They had a serious look in their faces and Joanna and Podrick got worried.
"Is everything alright, girls?" Joanna asked concerned.
"It is... it's just that we'd like to ask some things before we go to the capital." Jenny explained.
"You two can always ask us whatever you want, we'll answer it, if we know the answer." Pod said.
"After we get to KingsLanding, what will happen?" Marianne asked worried.
"Me and your father will have to talk with the King and the Queen and with your uncle Jaime and your aunt Brienne as well, to figure out what our next move will be." Joanna said honestly. That was what she and Pod knew, it was the emergency plan that all of them had, if a situation like this ever came to pass.
"And what are the options for that?" Jenny asked, worried too.
"Well, in the best case scenario the threat is dealt with and we can get back home. Worst case there is going to be a war." Pod said honestly.
Since Jenny had been born, Joanna and Pod had agreed that they would never hide anything from their children, they would always tell them the truth. Westeros was already a country full of secrets, there was no need to have secrets amongst the family too.
"Will you two go to war?" Marianne asked concerned.
"If it comes to that, yes." Pod said, trying not to sound sad. Joanna looked at him and knew that he was feeling the same way that she was. They both were sad because they did not see a way to end this problem without a war and they both felt that they owned their daughters an explaination for why they had to go to battle.
"We have to, sweetlings. It's a matter of honor and we have to protect you and your brothers, as well as our family." Joanna explained.
"We understand that, really we do. But... if something happens..." Jenny said.
"Nothing will happen. We'll do everything to get back home." Joanna said.
"We promise you." Pod said.
"Alright..." Marianne said, still worried.
"Can we go to battle too?" Jenny asked hopefully.
"We know how to fight and we also want to protect our family." Marianne said seriously.
"No!" Pod and Joanna said at the same time.
"Why?" the girls asked, not believing them.
"Because you two are too young for it." Joanna answered seriously.
"You were 17 and father was 16 when you two fought at the Blackwater." Jenny rebutted.
"That was different." Pod said.
"How was that different?" Marianne asked.
"First of all, we had the advantage in that battle and in this one we don't have a clue of what we will find. Second, the times were different." Joanna explained.
"Your mother is right, we didn't have anything to return to. I didn't have anyone, the closest I had to a family was your mother and your uncle Tyrion. Besides, I was a squire, it was my duty to help in battle." Pod explained.
"And I was the youngest of my family, my brothers were in the war and I had made a promise to protect my sister and my nephews and niece. Besides, I had no lands to rule. So, I did what I knew to honor my house. We didn't have a choice but to fight." Joanna explained.
"But you two have a choice... you have Casterly Rock and our house to rule, if something happens." Pod said.
"And you have your brothers to take care of. They need you. Both of you." Joanna said.
The girls looked at each other and then at their parents again.
"But- Fine. We won't do anything." Marianne said reluntacly.
"Is everyone coming to KingsLanding?" Jenny asked curiously.
"Yes, I think so. At least, that was the emergency plan." Joanna said.
"Everything will be fine, don't worry." Pod assured them.
"Your father is right, everything will be back to normal in a nick of time." Joanna comfirmed.
"If you say so..." Jenny and Marianne said.
Then they gave both of their parents a hug and returned to their rooms.
"You think that they will go all the same?" Pod asked concerned.
"I don't know... but they are our daughters..." Joanna said honestly and a bit concerned too.
"Since when did we obey that when we had their age?" Pod asked.
"We'd better keep our eyes open." Joanna said and then they laughed.
Jenny's and Marianne's rooms were next to each other and had a door that connected the two rooms. Marianne came to Jenny's room and they sat in the bed, talking.
"We will not stay in KingsLanding, will we?" Marianne asked.
"You can bet we won't." Jenny said and Marianne laughed.
"You can't stay away from trouble, can you?" Marianne asked.
"Look who's talking." Jenny said and both laughed. In that aspect they were just like their mother.
"You surprised me, I didn't think you'd want to come." Jenny said honestly.
"I may not be as good a warrior as you are, but you know I can manage, Jen. I will not let you go alone." Marianne said seriously.
"You know that you are almost as good as me with the sword, right? And thank you, Mary. We're in this together." Jenny said.
"We are. I have the feeling that we aren't alone." Marianne said.
"Gal and Gerion will want to come too. Assuming that Ger is out of Winterfell." Jenny said.
"You're right. But how will we get the rest of the kids to stay in KingsLanding?" Marianne asked confused.
"We have to talk to them and hope they will listen." Jenny said thinking.
"What about Varys and Davos?" Marianne asked.
"We are almost adults, we can make our own decisions." Jenny said.
"Good luck convincing them with that." Marianne said.
"Gal and I will manage." Jenny said.
"Don't get too excited, sis. He's still on Tarth and you are still on the Rock." Marianne said.
"Don't start." Jenny said.
"It's a family thing, I didn't start it. But, now for real, you were too obvious about it earlier. I can't believe mother did not notice yet." Marianne said.
"I know, I know. I will be more careful. I can't believe that you are the lady and I'm the one who is kinda with someone." Jenny said.
"Not everyone is that lucky." Marianne said sadly.
"I told you, if you want me to punch that idiot, you just have to say the word." Jenny said seriously.
"Don't worry, I already took care of him." Marianne said. Jenny went to her sister and gave her a hug.
"You are my sister and if anyone messes with you, they will have to deal with me. I will always be there, sis." Jenny said.
"Me too, sis. I'll always be here." Marianne said.
Then two boys came running into the room.
"Jen, Mary, do you talk to mother and father?" James asked.
"We did." Jenny said.
"And?" Thomas asked.
"We can't go. So, we'll have to wait." Marianne said.
The boys got sad instantly and their sisters felt a bit bad for it.
Jenny and Marianne look at each other and then said,
"Come here, both of you, sit." James and Thomas went to sit between their sisters and Jenny and Marianne put an arm around each of them.
"Everything will be alright." Jenny said.
"Yes and father and mother will come back and soon enough all of us will be home again." Marianne said. The twins nodded and then the four of them hugged.
The next they all families headed to the capital.

A/N: Hi! I'm back! This one will a bit different than the one before, because it's going to work in POVs. I hope you like it.