Chapter 10

Harry Potter + A song of Ice and Fire Crossover

Chapter 10

It certainly was strange being the only female amongst a crop of males.

For most of her second life, Lily had been surrounded by her sisters and her mother. It wasn't until Ed and Axel came around that she was more exposed to the opposite sex. The Petyr had arrived and she had had so many playmates that she hadn't known what to do with herself.

That certainly didn't seem to be the case here though.

Lord Arryn ruled the Vale with a fair but firm hand and the red head could tell he expected the same from each of his charges. Lily had watched quietly from the shadows of the High Hall with her uncle while he had seen to the needs and complaints of each minor lord, each villager, each farmer, and each guard that had come to him.

Needless to say she had been very impressed.

In a way, Jon Arryn reminded her of a much younger version of Albus Dumbledore. Hogwarts had all but been the kingdom of the white haired and bearded supreme Mugwump and she did remember with fondness her time spent in his office after exams in her final year of school just talking with him about the future.

Naturally she didn't know the Lord of the Vale well enough for such pleasantries but she was hopeful that the trip itself would be essential for good communication and perhaps friendship between the Riverlands and the Vale in the future.

His nephew Elbert was certainly one to watch as well as he took after his uncle in word and deed immensely. He was soft spoken, gentle, communicative and fair but damn near deadly with a sword as she had seen.

Her first day in the Vale had been spent touring the place and she had seen the training grounds where numerous knights and guardsmen were dancing back and forth with blades in their hands.

At the sight of a lady many of the bouts had stopped and bows were exchanged causing Lily to smile.

She hadn't fought on that specific day as she was still wearing a dress and if there was one thing that didn't mix, it was a blade and a skirt.

So she swallowed her disappointment and decided that another time would perhaps be better.

In the meantime, she allowed the three boys, two heirs apparent and one second son to lead her around the Eyrie.

It was small but she could see its natural defenses right away. As she had thought earlier, none but a dragon would have been able to conquer the Eyrie. It was completely impenetrable otherwise.

All of the white stone made her eyes hurt in the midday sun but when the sun was setting or rising of which she had a perfect few of the former from the window of her room, it was really quite beautiful.

Her uncle Brynden seemed to come alive in this place as he often did when her father wasn't around and not for the first time did the red head wonder how deep the hurts were still between them.

What had been so important that her uncle had decided that their house words didn't mean as much?

And then she wondered how right could one be when one was serving one's own conscience. Had her uncle been serving his conscience all those years ago or had he been acting for the good of the Riverlands.

She supposed she would never know.

And speaking of things she couldn't figure out, there was one member of the Eyrie who seemed to be doing his utmost to confuse her.

Robert Baratheon, the eldest son of the late Steffon Baratheon seemed to possess an ability to either amuse or frustrate all those around him.

Lily hadn't known him long enough to decide how she felt, but she had a feeling she would before they left the east.

Her opinion on his looks was a non factor as Lily was far too used to judging someone based on their heart.

After all James Potter had been arguably one of the best looking boys at Hogwarts alongside Sirius Black and she had hated him at first.

In many ways though, Robert reminded her less and less of James and more of his mongrel best friend the more time she spent around him.

Sirius Black possessed a curious personality where Lily had never known if she wanted to laugh or roll her eyes and hit him.

He had been a ladies man through and through and his movie star good looks had certainly made it easy to see why.

Lily lost count of the number of broken hearts the Black heir had left in his wake and she had had to personally step in and warn him off one of her best friends Alice Longbottom as she had seen him eyeing her.

The red head smirked as she remembered how she had cornered Sirius one day after she had caught him following Alice and threatened to use a complicated spell that she had invented to remove his manhood if he didn't leave her best friend alone.

It was the one time the far too charismatic Black had had nothing to say and Lily had flounced off.

In all actuality no spell existed but seeing as how she had the top grades in her class and had been in the pool of top five students at Hogwarts since her first year, she didn't think he would have any reason to disbelieve her.

And it was better if he didn't know.

Robert Baratheon reminded her very much of Sirius Black.

That was a little bit worrying but at the same time, Lily also knew she wasn't going to be saddled with the heir to Storm's End.

Apparently that honor had gone to Ned Stark's youngest and only sister Lyanna whom her father had brokered an agreement with to make connections further south.

Lyanna was the same age as Lily as far as she knew and the knowledge of this made the red head cringe. It hit a little too close to home for her knowing that any day now her father might have selected someone for her to marry in a few years time.

But then she reminded herself that Lyanna didn't have any older sisters and she did. Hoster Tully would be far more concerned with marrying them off first to worry about her for a few more years.

But for the only daughter of the largest territory in Westeros, it seemed that there would be no escape.

And to end up with someone like Baratheon….Lily bit the inside of her lip as she snuck a side glance at him.

While he didn't lack at all in the looks department, she was more interested in his mind and heart. Would he be the sort of husband and lord that could be loved, admired and praised by the commoners? Or would he simply be another drunk lazy dullard obsessed with war, women and wine?

She certainly hoped it wasn't the latter because Lyanna Stark would be in for a very long rough marriage if that was the case.

In the meantime, she cast her eyes to Elbert Arryn and briefly considered what it would be like to spend her time with him.

He certainly was attractive and possessed level head qualities she could get behind. She would like to spend more time with him in order to know for sure, but given a few more years, it was possible that she might be able to see herself with someone like him.

Thinking such thoughts made her feel guilty as James' face would swim before her eyes. She knew she had to let him go, but it was still hard.

But whenever that would happen she would just distract herself with reading and turning over the silver medallion she had gotten on the journey in her hand.

That piece was an anomaly in and of itself. She still had no idea what it meant and it was driving her crazy turning the possibilities over and over in her mind.

Although the more she pondered it, Lily had a feeling she wasn't going to ascertain the true meaning of it on this trip.

She absently wondered what Petyr would think of the whole experience had he been there. She contemplated writing a letter to him about it but then dismissed the idea because it had been so outlandish she wasn't sure he would believe her.

Also the information was of a peculiarly sensitive nature and she would be sending it to the capital where god's knew how many eyes would see it before Petyr's. After that she thought about warding the letter so no hands would touch it but her friends'. Finally however she settled on simply speaking to him in person. Petyr had as sharp a mind as any she had ever seen, perhaps this would convince him that there were mystical forces in this world.

It might also be a good introduction to her magic. Her best friend had been so adamant that there was no such thing as magic that he was in for a great shock when he would be proven wrong.

Every evening after the supper, her Uncle and Lord Arryn would retire to his solar to speak about Merlin knew what and Lily and the three boys would be on their own.

Well Robert wasn't much for conversation and sitting still for long and so no more than a half of an hour later he would stride from the High Hall. Sometimes Ned would follow him and other times he would remain.

On this particular evening, he left with his friend and Lily was left alone with Elbert Arryn.

Of the three young men, she liked him the most as he was the most personable and serene. It seemed very little fazed him but he possessed the same high degree of honour as his Uncle.

It was in their house words after all.

While Ned was very nice, he was a little too quiet and Robert was certainly the sun to his moon.

Elbert she enjoyed talking to whilst Robert would talk about nothing and everything all at once whereas Ned wouldn't talk at all.

So that evening found the both of them settled before the fire in the High Hall in comfortable chairs. Lily had one of the books she had brought with her settled in her lap which she was thumbing through and Elbert was reading a letter.

The sun had just gone down and the night sky was full of crisp diamond like stars that twinkled in glorious succession.

Lily had never seen such stars even on the clearest night from the tallest tower in Riverrun. Every so often she would look up and catch sight of them which would in turn distract her for long enough so that she would forget which page of her book she was on and have to flip back again.

This must have gone on for some time as Lily didn't realize she had an audience until Elbert spoke up.

"Are you alright Lady Lily?" He asked and the red head glanced up to find the blonde watching her with one eyebrow raised.

She blinked and glanced down at the page grasped between her thumb and forefinger realizing with chagrin that she had absently torn it.

"Fine," she said as she cast her eyes back to the window. "It's just….I don't think I've ever seen stars like this before. It's so much clearer here than in the Riverlands. There the best features are the rivers and the woods. The sky doesn't draw so much attention there."

"Then you have not spent enough time looking at it," Elbert said with a smile. "My Uncle told me when I was a boy that every so often I should look to the stars because they reminded a man to never be too arrogant. He says that they were there long before he or I were and will be long after we're gone. He says they remind a man that he is not immortal."

"Lord Arryn is a very wise man," Lily observed.

"He is," Elbert said thoughtfully. "He's been the father I needed after my own died."

He said this with a tinge of sadness in his voice that made Lily feel a stab of pity for him.

She remembered something that her uncle had told her on the journey to the Vale about Lord Elbert being born just as his father Lord Ronnel was dying and soon after being made his heir.

She also wondered what it would be like to never know ones father or mother and cringed at the thought. Her first parents were gone and so was her mother in this world but at least she had had the pleasure to know them.

The red head thought about what Petyr had said to her after her mother's funeral about it being better to know ones parents even if they died rather than not knowing them at all.

She wondered if Elbert suffered from the same sense of displacement that Petyr did but decided she would not ask as it was not her business.

But before she could think of something that was appropriate to say, her companion beat her to it.

"What are you reading?" He asked.

"Oh," Lily said holding up the book so he could see the cover. "It's a history of the First Men of the South."

Elbert's eyes narrowed slightly. "An interest choice. Why that topic if I may ask?"

Lily smiled. "I know that the Andals populate the south most heavily but I am very curious about the population of First Men here."

Elbert's face darkened slightly. "We have had many a problem with the First Men here in the Vale."

Lily nodded, her mind going instantly back to that misty passage way and the weight of the flat stone pressed into her hand.

"Yes I had heard that," she said quietly.

Elbert sighed and got to his feet so that he might stand in front of the fire with his hands folded behind his back. "I can't exactly blame them. The Andals did disrupt their way of life. Sometimes I wonder what life might have been like if we could have coexisted peacefully with the First Men."

"You have in some ways," Lily pointed out glancing once more out the window. "House Royce has bent the knee and aren't they the oldest of those who claim descent from the First Men?"

"They are," Elbert replied running a hand through his blonde hair, "But though they have sworn allegiance to the Arryn of the Vale, there are times when the Royce's of Runestone are….mysterious."

Lily frowned. "In what way?"

"It's rather difficult to describe," the heir to the Vale replied. "But my Uncle once traveled there to conduct business with Lord Royce and he returned with strange tales of corridors that only members of the Royce family could traverse, strange glowing lights and otherworldly voices that would whistle past his window at night and then mimic the howling of the wind next. I wasn't sure what to make of his tale when he told it to me other than to suggest that we keep an absent eye on House Royce for the future."

Lily pursued her lips. That did sound strange, almost like Runestone was a place of strange magic. She made a mental note to read up on the place in the future. It seemed that pockets of magic were appearing all over Westeros.

Whether that was good or bad news for her…well that remained to be seen. So far the trip to the Vale had proven interesting and informative.

"Do you suspect treachery?" She asked finally after a long silence.

"Not at all," Elbert said easily. "House Royce is as loyal as they come yet things that are unknown and unpredictable tend to make my Uncle wary."

"Your Uncle certainly seems to be a good judge of character," Lily said amiably and Elbert smiled. "Well he chose your Uncle for a friend, and I can certainly see why."

Lily laughed. "I don't know the history of their relationship but on the journey here I did hear a few stories about their adventures so to speak in the war of the Nine Penny Kings."

"Ah like the tale of how they were penned in by warriors of the Golden Company and were pressed for space they had to fight back to back for a solid ten moments before they were able to cut a way out?" Elbert asked. "When I was a boy I heard that story many times, I think I liked it so much just for the sense of awe it gave me. Children always idolize adults don't they?"

Lily chuckled. "They do, and sometimes it carries on into adulthood without anyone realizing it."

Elbert looked at her for a long moment before he sat back down and pressed his fingers into a tent over his knees. "May I ask you something Lady Lilian?"

The red head frowned. "Of course."

"Why did you choose to delay your trip to the capital for the royal wedding and accompany Ser Brynden here instead?"

Lily sighed in what she imagined was a long suffering manner. "I would hope that I have demonstrated in the last few days that I am not the sort of person who is a typical lady. I have nothing against weddings or royal engagements but what I do dislike are the political games that are played at these sorts of things. Each lord and lady tries to gain an upper hand on the other with snide remarks and quiet japes and by the time the events are over very little has been lost or gained other than wasted words and time. I find the entirety of it exhausting and I was hoping to avoid it for as long as I possibly could."

Elbert blinked at the father long winded explanation and then a curious grin broke out over his handsome face.

Lily frowned. "What is it?"

"Nothing," the heir to the Vale said with a laugh. "Its just that explanation reminded me quite a bit of Robert although he wouldn't have been so eloquent about it."

An image of the giant of a young man flashed in Lily's mind and she blinked wondering whether to be amused or disgusted.

"He certainly seems to be –"

"Arrogant, brash, reckless?" Elbert asked listing off the adjectives on his fingers. "Because in all three counts you would be correct."

He had a smile on his face as he said these things however so Lily had a feeling he wasn't completely serious. Or barring that, he was but his loyalty to the young storm Lord outweighed all of those negative personality traits.

She decided not to respond to that and asked a simple question instead. "How long have you three known each other?"

Elbert got a fond smile on his face. "It's been about four years now. They arrived at the Eyrie when they were three and ten and since then the three of us have done nearly everything together. I don't have any siblings of my own as I was my father's only child before he passed."

"And now they are your brothers in all But name," Lily finished with a smile.

"Aye," Elbert replied. "But enough about all of this. What of your siblings? You have many I hear."

No doubt he had had to read up on the great houses like she had and thus knew quite a bit about her family just as she knew about his.

"Well, I am the youngest daughter," the red head replied, "but I have two younger brothers, Edmure and Axel who is still just a young child. And there's my friend Petyr."

"Petyr Baelish?" Elbert asked. "I had heard that the son of Lord Baelish was fostering in Riverrun."

"He's been with us for a few years already and he's proven to be a very good friend," Lily said with a smile.

In the meantime she was wondering how said friend was doing in relation to her sister and how said sister was handling herself around Petyr.

In a way she was glad she wasn't there to officiate. She would be constantly worries about everyone, Lysa's feelings, Petyr's unintended callousness, Cat's starry eyed awe at the beauty of the capital, Edmure's constant need for adventure and her own desire to keep Axel as far away from the mad king has she could.

And speaking of which, she hoped her siblings were doing just that.

"There are times when I feel badly for his father," Elbert said suddenly and Lily frowned. "What do you mean?"

The blonde sighed. "I mean his father is a minor Lord, the lord of the littlest of the Fingers with very little to pass on to his son. Land but few holdings, even fewer servants and less means to make a name for himself in this world. I feel for the person who will inherit that level of mediocrity."

Lily frowned, her temper rearing it's head slightly.

"Having a lot of money and influence does not mean you will lead a meaningful life you know," She all but snapped. "What matters is your character and how you treat people. Will you be loved if you rule your land with a rod of iron, meting out the most vile and cruel sentences on people who have nothing and are forced to do what they can to survive? No they will spit on your grave and the chances for revolt are far higher. Your name will be forgotten when you die and your children might not even voice your title. Money only goes so far in this world Lord Elbert and it will be a very sorry state you are in if that is all you are remembered for."

With that said and feeling she had better leave before she said something she regretted, the red head got to her feet with a flourish. "I believe I will turn in, goodnight Lord Elbert."

She made it all the way to the door of the High Hall hoping to leave in a righteous snit on behalf of her childhood friend before the heir to the Vale stopped her with two words.

"Lady Lilian?"

The fourteen year old paused with her hand on the marble post leading out of the Hall and turned back. "Yes?"

With the glow of the fire at his back lighting his features and pale hair, Elbert Arryn almost appeared angelic. His hands were folded in front of him and there was a surprisingly contrite and empathetic look in his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said in a surprisingly soft voice. "I didn't realize how callous that sounded. And you're right, having money or influence doesn't guarantee everything in this world. My uncle did impart to me that honour matters more than all those things."

"Not just honour," Lily replied in an equally soft voice. "It's what you do with the honour you claim to have that matters. Honour is in your family words and mine and yet there are times when What comes before those words seems to matter more. My father values family and duty more than honour. Be careful that your words don't let you slide into lofty thoughts about what honour is rather than performing honourable actions. Goodnight Lord Elbert."

And then she turned and quietly left the hall. All the way down the passage however she could feel the eyes of Elbert Arryn on her back until she turned the corner.

Ω

Lily and Elbert didn't speak for the next two days, not out of anger but out of different schedules.

And because her Uncle was still in conference with Lord Arryn, Lily was left pretty much on her own so she thus spent her time reading, frequenting the sparring grounds when no one was around and turning the medallion she had been given over and over in her hand until she was certain that there was a permanent imprint on her hand.

Every so often she would see Robert Baratheon and Ned Stark across the castle or down in the courtyards but it wasn't until her time in the Eyrie was half complete that the red head felt certain she could call one of them friend.

After a particularly quiet morning, Lily decided she was going to do a little research on the medallion she had been given and entered the library hoping to find in depth lore and symbolism in the history of the Vale.

What she got instead was a surprise.

She had just turned the corner on a shelf full of old manuscripts letting her index finger trace the guilded covers and embossments of each one when she suddenly heard a quiet voice.

"Hello Lady Lilian."

The red blinked and whirled around only to be confronted with a figure sitting at a table a few feet away from her with a stack of books just to the right of him. He was dressed in a grey tunic and breeches with long white sleeves and black boots with the silver head of a wolf pinned to the right breast pocket.

His calm grey eyes were taking her in with a hint of curiosity and polite concern.

"Lord Eddard," she said. "I didn't expect to see you in here. Where is Lord Baratheon?"

To her surprise, the quiet young man gave her a small smile. "Robert isn't much for libraries, books are the one thing he tries to stay away from."

Lily frowned, deciding her own research could wait. "And why is that? He's going to be a Lord isn't he? Reading is something he's going to have to do."

Eddard sighed. "Well then he is going to do it as little as possible and avoid it whenever he can. Robert is more a man of action than a man of words."

Lily snorted. "That I can believe."

Eddard chuckled lightly. "I believe he will always accomplish more with a war hammer in his hands than a quill and an ink pot."

An image of Uncle Brynden flashed in Lily's mind. He too was a man of action more than a man of words but age has made him wise and understanding. Perhaps Robert himself would also mellow out as the years went by.

"May I ask what you're researching?" She asked deciding to change the subject.

"The ruling policies of the old kings of the north," he replied placing a hand on the stack of books. "My father had them sent to me."

Lily frowned. "But aren't you the second son? Shouldn't these be more of the studies of your older brother."

"They should be," he replied. "However lately I have reason to believe that my father is going to select a small hold fast for me to govern where I will be a sworn banner of my brothers'."

"Interesting," Lily mused. "Was that something you wanted to do or did you have something else in mind?"

A contemplative look came over the young wolf's face. "I hadn't truly thought about it. Being the second son means I do have more freedom than my brother and when I was younger I contemplated running off to Essos and becoming a sell sword."

Lily felt her eyebrows rise almost to her hairline. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I can't really picture you becoming a sell sword."

Eddard gave her another small smile. "Our thoughts are mutual on the subject. After a few years of being here I realized it was more than a little foolish. But I knew I still wanted to travel at some point, although also I know I would come back to the north at some point."

"Because winter is coming," Lily said with a smile.

Ned blinked but then nodded. "Because winter is coming and before long all Starks will be needed. We all return to the north at some point."

"Well I can't really argue against the changing of the seasons," Lily said with a smile. "How much longer do you think you will be hear before you go back to Winterfell?"

Ned passed a hand over the side of his face wryly. "Perhaps another year. I don't intend to remain after my eight and tenth name day and before long my brother will be married as well so I will need to return to the north to observe the union."

Lily blinked. "Good lord I almost forgot that in a year or so your brother and my sister will be wed. I suppose it's a good thing I am getting to meet you now. We are going to be family at some point."

"That is true."

"What is your brother like Ned?" Lily asked. She had decided right then to test out the name seeing as how they were going to be seeing more of each other.

"Brandon?" Ned replied. "Well when the two of us were growing up, he was always my protector. We were polar opposites he and I, we still are in many ways. I was smaller than he was and so I can remember up until my tenth name day I could always look to my right and see his shadow walking beside me. I never liked that he was taller than I was."

Lily chuckled. "Its always nice to feel as if there are people watching over us isn't it? I suppose I just wanted to ask because he will we'd my sister and I want to make sure she's taken care of."

Ned smiled again. "Then let me set your mind at ease. You have nothing to worry about."

"Are you sure?" Lily asked in a rare moment of letting her guard down. "I may not be the oldest sibling but I am older than some and Cat is full of dreams. She wants to be the perfect lady, the perfect mother and I do know how excited she is about all of this. So when I found out my uncle was traveling here to see Lord Arryn on business, not only was it a chance to avoid the wedding but it was a chance to find out more about the Starks and their famed honour. I just wanted to be sure."

Up until that point Ned had only been giving her small smiles that Lily had taken to be a sign of politeness. But at that moment she could have sworn she saw a sparkle in his grey eyes that said that he was genuinely pleased.

He opened his mouth presumably to say something but was suddenly and almost jarringly cut off by the sound of shouting in the distance.

"When were you going to bring this to my attention?!"

Ned's smile and shiny eyes vanished immediately and his head jerked towards the library door as if the horns of war had just been sounded.

"That was Lord Arryn," he said softly.

All of a sudden the shout was followed with an even deeper bellow that almost had the quality of rolling thunder.

Lily couldn't quite make out what it was saying but it seemed angry.

"And that would be Robert," Ned said pointing a finger towards the door.

The two of them exchanged glances and both started to get up to head towards the door.

All of a sudden there was the sound of running feet in the corridor and Elbert dashed in before slamming the heavy doors that had been propped open shut behind him.

"Elbert what in the name of the old gods is the matter?" Ned demanded as the heir to the Vale caught his breath.

"Give me a moment," the blonde said bending slightly at the waist to catch his breath.

Ned and Lily exchanged glances again.

"What's all the shouting about?" The red head asked.

Elbert blinked as if realizing she was there for the first time. "Lady Lilian my apologies I didn't see you."

Finally he straightened up. "At the moment Robert is at odds with Uncle Jon about a….matter of indiscretion."

Lily raised an eyebrow. "A matter of indiscretion?"

All of a sudden Ned groaned and dropped his face into his hands as if in dismay.

"You know then," Elbert asked.

Ned cast a glance at Lily as if he were trying to be discreet. "I knew he had been to see her a number of times. But Lord Arryn wouldn't be so upset about it unless…."

He trailed off as the pieces clanged together in Lily's brain. Robert Baratheon was involved in a matter of indiscretion, obviously seeing a woman he shouldn't have been seeing and the result was an apoplectic an Lord Arryn.

"Dear god," she muttered under her breath as she looked from Ned to Elbert.

Elbert's face was red and he was doing everything he could to avoid her eyes whilst Ned was staring hard out the window.

Shaking her head and knowing she would get no more answers from them, the red head strode from the room in the hopes of finding her Uncle Brynden.

What she did find was more shouting coming from down the corridor that led to the High Hall and so she started in that direction.

"And what do you plan to do about this?" Demanded the voice of Lord Arryn. "The girl is low born, she has not the means to support the child. She will be forever ruined because of dalliance and you will have a bastard child that will follow you around for the rest of your life! How in the name of the gods do you expect me to be calm about all this?"

"Jon! This is not something you need to worry about – "

"Really? I suppose you were simply going to ignore this letter and simply let things play themselves out. Is that not so?"

"No I –"

"Or perhaps you would do something even more harebrained and bring the child with you when it's born back to the Stormlands thus complicating your life and theirs. The world is not kind to bastards and you would force this child to share in that by you presence!"

Lily barely restrained a grimace. She knew in this world that a bastard was seen as a stain upon their parents name, a physical representation of their indiscretion and unbridled lust for someone far too different or lesser than they.

It was even worse when bastards were born to already married lords as it had the potential to put a strain on the marriage.

But while the political ramifications of having a bastard were highly unfortunate, the fact that the blame for these so called indiscretions was mostly placed on the fragile young shoulders of the child in question was something that Lily absolutely did not agree with.

They didn't ask for their parents to not be able to control themselves, or in other cases to have a father who had helped himself to a low born female. They were simply the result of those decisions.

They were children and deserved to be loved and treated with respect the same as any child born of noble birth.

Her mother heart ached for those children who were ostracized from society because of the choices of their parents. Having Harry had changed her perspective on many things and the fact that she was living a different life now had not dulled her ideals or values.

It was why she talked down Cat whenever her sister made it seem as if bastards were the worst sin in the world.

She was just contemplating whether or not to continue to the High Hall to see if her Uncle was there when the sound of footsteps made her look up.

Brynden Tully had just exited through the while marble archway that led to the corridor and had caught sight of her.

"I take it you heard the shouting," he said with a wry smile as he strode up to her.

"I'm certain the whole keep has heard it by now," she asked raising an eyebrow. "Ned and Elbert inadvertently informed me about the origins of it."

The Blackfish sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Aye, an unfortunate business that. Apparently this is not the first time young Lord Robert has dallied with a girl of the Vale."

Lily was certain her eyes grew as wide as dinner plates. "You mean he has fathered more children?"

"Not to my knowledge thank the Seven," her Uncle muttered. "But this is not the first time Lord Arryn has lectured him on his….lack of self control."

The shouting down the hall had continued however by this time Lord Arryn was speaking so fast Lily couldn't make out everything he was saying.

"How do they plan to handle this?" She asked.

Brynden grinned. "I am told in the way that they always do….with shouting."

Lily snorted. "It's a wonder Eddard and Elbert aren't like that. The three of them grew up together. They would have been exposed to all of those….bad habits."

"Well from what I understand both Eddard and Elbert had those sorts of paternal figures in their life to educate them from a very young age about avoiding such indiscretions and behaving with honour. Lord Robert seems to lack proper education in those matters given the…losses he experienced before coming here."

Lily grimaced again, but this time for a different reasons. She had almost forgotten that the young stormlord had lost both of his parents in a terrible shipwreck.

For a moment she felt a stab of sympathy but then set her teeth again. The death of his parents shouldn't have been an excuse for his bad actions.

"Even still," she said. "He grew up here with a man who in every other language would have been called honourable to his core and has had him as an example. Why then does he persist in dishonouring himself and other women. Sleeping around does befit a Lord, or anyone for that matter. We're supposed to set examples for others with the power that we have, not waste it spilling seed into everything that moves."

To her annoyance the Blackfish burst out laughing.

"What is so funny?" She demanded after a few seconds of hooting.

"Nothing my dear," he said when he had finally managed to get control of himself again. "I was simply reminded of your mother in that moment. She loved children and so to see any of them treated badly affected her. Unfortunately your father was the one who instilled it in your sister's heads to hate and fear bastards because of the role of the Blackfyres. But I am glad to see that you know differently."

Lily snorted slightly. "Well, I certainly hope Robert Baratheon does right by that child and gives her some sort of life."

"I wouldn't worry too much about that my dear," the Blackfish said as he took her arm and led her down the corridor away from the High Hall. "Lord Arryn might be livid, but he is a man who will never forget his honour."

Ω

Later that night when the stars were bright and the moon was out in full force, Lily rolled over in her bed and slapped the pillow for what seemed like the millionth time.

"Oh this is ridiculous," she muttered to herself before rolling over and sitting up.

Running a hand through her long red curls, she had a feeling she wouldn't be getting any more rest that night much as she might try.

With a sigh she tossed the blanket aside and got to her feet convinced that the only way she was going to be able to go to sleep was if she physically made herself tired.

And that was when she went to the trunk at the foot of her bed and retrieved the sword she had brought with her from Riverrun.

Sneaking down to the sparring grounds was easy after that and the red head had a feeling that the blast of cold night air hitting her with each gust would make her tired eventually.

Once she had arrived at the square of white marble attired comfortably in a tunic and breeches with her sheathed sword in hand, Lily was beginning to feel a little bit more herself.

She paused in the middle of the grounds, widened her stance and closed her eyes. Slowly she ran her hand up the flat of the blade.

There was a sudden breath of wind and she raised the blade over her head and whirled around doing one hundred and eighty degrees on the position.

Taking a step forward she swung the blade up on the left side of her body and then the right bending her legs and leaning forward as she finished.

Upon completion of this movement, she swung around again. However just as she came to a stop, there came a second aspect that brought her up short.

"That's a pretty sword you've got there."

Lily blinked and glanced up to see a hulking figure standing at the edge of the sparring grounds. It was at least a head taller than she was and right away Lily knew who she was speaking to.

"Pretty Lord Robert?" She asked raising an eyebrow. "No tool that can slit you from navel to nose should be called pretty."

"Oh aye, but no matter what it does it is still pretty. You need a better sword than that."

He took a step forward into the light and Lily blinked.

Robert Baratheon was attired in all black, a loose fitting tunic and breeches tucked into black boots. His hair was tousled as if he had just gotten out of bed and tossed haphazardly across his forehead. And in the light his blue eyes fairly glowed like two stars.

Lily grimaced and forced herself to focus. "And what sort of weapon would you recommend then?"

Robert cocked his head to one side and then took another step forward. "Well for starters I would get rid of the sword. A real warrior needs one of these."

With a casual swing he brought his war hammer up into sight. Why he had been walking around with that thing Lily had no idea but she had a feeling she hadn't been the only one deprived of sleep and needing a physical distraction.

Although she would have thought Robert was the sort of man to engage in a different sort of physical distraction given what had happened today.

And again she grimaced.

"A war hammer?" She scoffed. "I'd look ridiculous with one of those."

Robert barked out a laugh. "You're standing here in the middle of the night with a sword jabbing at the air. You're buggered if you don't realize how ridiculous that already looks."

Lily rolled her eyes. "And just why is a war hammer better than a sword?"

Robert shrugged. "Well it's simple. A sword is pretty, a war hammer is not. It's easier to kill with a hammer than with a sword."

"Is that so?" Lily asked placing her hands on her hips. "Well while you're too busy swinging that giants club around which will inevitably slow you down, a sword can slip in for the kill and stab you in the gut before you can even blink."

Again Robert laughed. "I would like to meet the man who could do a thing like that and fight him myself."

"Well then," Lily said lifting her sword on to her shoulder, "here is your chance."

Robert as it turned out was not as thick as she might have believed and he caught on right away.

"You?" He asked, both eyebrows raised.

"Me," Lily replied with a smirk. "If you're so convinced that your weapon is better, put your hammer where your mouth is and show me."

As it turned out the storm lord didn't need much convincing.

A shark like grin crossed the handsome face of the eldest Baratheon. "And what do I get if I win?"

Lily raised an eyebrow. "I'm not that sort of woman. You may have gotten one girl pregnant but I certainly won't be the second. You get the satisfaction of having beaten me, no more no less."

Robert's eyes had widened at the omission of her knowledge but then they narrowed in concentration. "Well come on then, let's see what the Riverlands can do."

What followed was the most ferocious duel she had ever fought. Though her Uncle Brynden was quick and precise, Robert was powerful and down right ferocious. The hammer only seemed to increase his force and Lily found herself forced to defend immediately.

His size was going to be an issue but she was also fast on her feet and if she kept moving she could tire him out.

She lost track of the time as they circled each other trading blow for blow but if the sweat beginning to drip down her back was any indication, it had been a while.

Finally Lily knew there was only one way to beat him as she was getting tired too. She had a secret weapon that was primed for emergencies of this sort.

No, she screamed to herself. I swore I wouldn't use magic on a Muggle for any reason unless it was to save my life. I already broke it once with father but this is something I cannot and will not do!

So she didn't.

Instead it was a complete and utter fluke that she saw what she did next.

A crack in the pavement just wide enough to get a foot stuck in. She just had to draw him towards it.

And perhaps use s bit of Muggle trickery.

In a last ditch effort to halt his forward onslaught, the red head ducked under a particularly wild swing and and then ducked even further so she was eye level with his knees.

In a jerky move, she slapped the side of his right knee, succeeding in throwing him off balance and when he leaned to the right she brought the sword around and slapped his other knee.

And she would've won the bout if it weren't for his own strength.

Lily glanced up just in time to see the head of the hammer coming at her and only had a second to dive out of the way which succeeded in putting her off balance too.

The next thing she knew the giant of a Lord was standing over her, hammer raised.

"I win," he said with a cheerful smile. "Now you need to admit that a hammer is better than a sword."

"Not quite," Lily said with a smirk. And then she tightened her grip on the hilt of the sword and stabbed downward at the fabric of his pant leg pulling upward with as much strength as she could muster.

It wasn't enough to yank him off his feet but she did succeed in throwing him off balance again and allowing her to get to her feet.

And that was how they found themselves standing inches apart with their weapons pressed to each other's throats.

There was a moment of breathless silence before Lily realized what had happened and she stepped away quickly. "Not bad Baratheon."

"Same to you Tully," he said. He wasn't panting but his breath was somewhat heavy. "Where did you learn all that?"

The red head smirked. "My uncle's the Blackfish Baratheon. He fought in the war of the nine Penny kings. He's been teaching me how to handle a sword for the last six years."

And with that she jerked her sword free and strode off back to her chambers without a backward glance.

And just as with Elbert, she could feel his eyes on her back.

Ω

THANK GOD! I am back baby! Okay enough with the theatrics haha. But I'm really sorry it has taken me this long to post an update for any of my stories. It has been a truly brutal semester at school and on top of that my computer went kaput so I have been forced to use my tablet to post anything. But it doesn't matter now, I'm back and hopefully will never be gone for this long again. In this chapter I wanted all three guys to have a conversation with Lily as all three are going to mean something to her throughout her life, obviously some more than others hehehe. Also in the next chapter Brynden learns about Lily's magic and the residents of the House of Arryn and their guests head for the capital. Don't forget to drop a review and scream at me for being away for so long. Enjoy!