Chapter 38

It was a bloody year in the history of Westeros.

Lots of warriors lost their lives, and the entire Targaryen dynasty was rendered extinct. Meanwhile, the noble house of Lannister was driven to the brink of its end because of Tywin Lannister's greed.

His son, Jaime Lannister, was sent to the Wall to join the Night's Watch along with several Lannister men. Babes too young to have formed memories were sent away to be fostered and serve various houses in the North. Lastly, Tyrion Lannister was shipped off to Oldtown to join the Citadel.

I knew that Cersei Lannister was a vengeful woman. Thus, she, along with the women of the Lannister household, was sent to become septas and the silent sisters, never to rise in power ever again.

The Lannisters kept their name, but they were entirely stripped of their nobility.

Of course, the various bannermen of the Lannisters protested in the only way they could, and I retaliated in the way I knew. I'd beaten them to submission. They despised me, but to keep their heads, they complied.

House Lefford took over Casterly Rock, and Leo Lefford became the new Lord Paramount of the Westerlands.

And me...

"Allan of house Curran, the Stranger's sword, the bane of dragons, the bane of lions, the strongest man of Westeros... I name you lord of Moat Cailin." Ned announced in front of every Lord of the northern houses.

"To Lord Curran!" Ned raised a flagon of ale and cheered.

"Curran!" Yelled everyone as chugged down the ale with gusto. After that, we had a grand feast.

It had been a few months since the war had ended, and the realm was beginning to stabilize. We returned to the North after all the loose ends were tied in the South. I made sure to put an end to Baelish on the way back to the North and helped in deciding the future queen of Westeros. It was going to be the daughter of a Baratheon bannerman.

Essentially, my work in Westeros was done. I removed the disease of Lannisters and any future invasions from a scorned girl out of her depth. Although, the latter was done by the said girl's mother. I had shown everyone what would happen if anyone rose in rebellion. I hoped it would serve as enough warning to Balon Greyjoy and possibly to Roose Bolton.

... I wasn't too optimistic in the former's case.

Back at Winterfell, Ned got news of his wife being with a child upon our return. It was a joyous and somewhat somber occasion as Brandon was meant to be the one to marry Caitlyn and become the lord of the house.

I was going to stay at Winterfell for a while as Cassell chose household guards for me along with some masons, smiths, cooks, carpenters, weavers and laborers. I already had an army of 1500 men. They were the ones who had pledged their swords to me and were going to settle down at Moat Cailin with their families. It was a big task and I was going to meet them at the Moat itself. A raven was also sent to the Citadel for them to appoint a Maester of the Moat.

I was training Lyanna in learning to use her left hand for everything. She had to relearn how to eat, how to write, and everything else she could efficiently do with her right. It was very frustrating for her, and she almost broke down into tears several times. But she was resilient and faced it all with an extreme will.

The time for me to leave Winterfell was fast approaching, and I could tell that she was anxious. How? Well...

"Do you... Do you have to go?"

I looked at the sweaty girl and said, "Of course, I have to start doing my duties as the Lord."

Her eyes darted around and took on a red hue. She said, "Th-The last time you left me, terrible things happened. I-I was so lonely, and I was forced away from training, I was ambushed and kidnapped, I lost an arm and.. and...!"

I lightly bonked on her head and said, "That was a different situation, silly! You won't be wed to Robert Baratheon now, and there are no more spoiled princes who will spirit you away. And I doubt Ned has the balls to try and stop you from training... Or, doing anything else you want."

A tear rolled down her angry face, and she yelled, "But you won't be here!!"

I sighed, and after a moment, I asked, "Lyanna, what am I to you? What do you want me to be? A mentor? A friend?"

"I.. I..!"

"... Something else?"

"I don't know!!" She shouted.

"Then, maybe you should think about it. I wanted to be a lord because it would give me the freedom I desired. I had the strength, and now I have the status. I can make decisions for myself. I don't have to bow down to any idiot lord's whims and fancies. You got everything you wanted. You wanted the betrothal to be broken, and you wanted the freedom to choose your fate. I trained you to be strong, and you have achieved that strength. My job as your mentor is over. I am your friend and will remain so even after I'm residing at the Moat. What else do you want from me? Think about it. I'm here for a few more days."

I could tell that Lyanna's emotions had settled and she was beginning to think about what I'd said. She looked at me for a few moments and I held her gaze. Her face quickly flushed pink and she stomped away.

I could only shake my head and think, 'I'm not going to tell you anything. You'll have to come to your conclusions and accept whatever feelings you have. A friend... A lover... It's up to you. I won't influence your decision by sharing my feelings with you. If you want me to be your friend, I'll accept it. If you want me to be your lover... I'll accept it.'

I looked back at her and at that very moment, she turned to look at me. Again, she grew pink and began walking faster.

(ACJTF)

A/N: I think I've gotten better at writing romance. Love is always complicated and we don't always accept our feelings due to a multitude of reasons. I've never truly been in love, but, I do try to understand it and want it in my life. Yes, I do love my family, but it's not the same. I've had one-sided crushes... A lot of them. Even to the extent that the mere sight of her would quicken my heart and give this painful feeling of longing in my chest.

Anyway, my dilemmas over love and my existing one-sided crush aside, hope you liked this chapter. I got tired of studying all day, so I wrote a quick chapter. Have a nice day, except 'primordialzero'. Yeah, you can suck on a lemon, and may you develop a body odor that resembles a rotton egg's smell.