Lysa Arryn POV
Lysa could still remember the first grand tourney she ever attended in her lifetime.
She had been a doe-eyed girl back then. Knowing nothing about the reality of the world and seeing it through the childish lens of a sheltered and protected upbringing.
The sight of thousands of banners fluttering in the wind was still vivid in her memory, as if the entire chivalry of Westeros had descended upon Harrenhal.
Uncle Brynden had chaperoned her around during the festivities, ensuring that no unsavoury lords or knights came near her as she revelled in the joyous atmosphere without a care in the world.
At the time, she had found his presence and stern looks towards her suitors to be excessive. She had even felt a tinge of jealousy, thinking that he only wanted Catelyn to receive all the love and attention.
But now that she looked back at that time, she could see how easily someone could've taken advantage of her.
How easily, someone had taken advantage of Lyanna Stark, who was a similarly doe-eyed girl, even if she had a fiery spirit and rebellious nature to hide that fact.
And how everything had changed soon afterward.
War was at their doorsteps. Petyr, the boy she had foolishly loved, was sent away. And she and her sister Catelyn were carted off to be broodmares of the Lord Paramounts of the North and the Vale.
Catelyn once again gained the better part of the deal. Getting a young, caring man for a husband. While she got married to someone who was old enough to be her grandfather.
Catelyn gave birth to four healthy children one after another, while she was wrecked with miscarriages and stillbirths.
But despite how the tourney ended, and how everything went so wrong afterwards. She always remembered that Tourney with a certain fondness.
The Tourneys that Robert held, paled in comparison to that.
Oh, he certainly spent a lot of gold in it, and knights from all over the realm still came to attend it. But his tourneys always lacked a certain… flair. As if Robert was trying and failing to replicate the grandeur of the Tourney in Harrenhal.
As if he was competing against Prince Rhaegar even after his death, and failing miserably.
The sound of lance clashing against a shield brought her out of her reverie and she pulled her attention back to the yard where two knights had just exchanged another tilt with one another.
Robyn grinned and cheered along with the crowd, jumping up and down on his lap and flailing around his hands in excited motions.
She couldn't help but smile at her son's joy, finding more pleasure in his happiness than in the jousts themselves. In fact, it was the main reason she continued to attend these tourneys at all.
"Do you like that, my son?" she inquired, but he was only partially attentive, his gaze fixated on the knights in the yard. "One day, you'll become a great knight, just like them," she said.
"I will?" Her son asked, his eyes snapping back towards her with a great look of surprise on his face.
"Definitely. You will become the greatest knight that Westeros has ever seen," she assured him, although she silently added, 'Except for Stephen, of course. Even if her son became the second coming of Arthur Dayne, he would still be inferior to her lover. If only Robyn were Stephen's son instead of Jon's, then maybe...'
The thought sparked gears in her mind, and a longing for Stephen throbbed in her loins. 'Would he be willing to father a child with me?' She secretly wondered. 'Robyn could do with a brother, or a sister.'
Her thoughts were interrupted once again as the knights charged towards each other and clashed in a thunderous cacophony. Wood fragments and splinters scattered in all directions as the Knight from House Royce landed a decisive blow, and dismounted the Knight from House Vence.
Once the crowd and her son had calmed down from their excitement, two newer knights entered the yard and positioned themselves at the opposite end.
'An unfair match.' She thought as she noticed the contenders. One was a Knight from House Frey. The fact that he had even come this far in the tilts was impressive in and of itself. But against him, in his gleaming golden armour, was none other than Ser Jaime Lannister.
Watching Ser Jaime, she couldn't help but let her thoughts wander back to the past once again.
Of back in the time when Lord Tywin thought to unite their houses and had asked for her hand for Jaime.
She recalled her initial excitement when Jaime had arrived at Riverrun, only for that enthusiasm to wither and leave a bitter taste in her mouth as he paid her no attention and instead focused on conversing with her uncle about the tales of the previous Blackfyre war.
Soon after, Jaime departed for King's Landing, to serve as a squire for Ser Arthur Dayne, and the talks of the proposed arrangement never surfaced again.
She couldn't help but wonder if there had been something about her that had driven the knight away so completely. Had she done something differently, could she have won his approval? Would Cat have been able to capture his attention if she were in her place?
Since becoming Stephen's lover, she hadn't dwelled on such thoughts. Nonetheless, she still mused over how her life might have unfolded if she had wed Jaime instead of Jon Arryn.
If that had been the case, she would have been confined to Casterly Rock, and the opportunity to cross paths with Prince Stephen would have never presented itself. Perhaps everything had happened for the best in the end.
A signal was given, and the two riders galloped toward one another, their lances held high in the air, their shields braced against their chest as the bored down on one another, faster and faster.
Their lances lowered as they were about to reach one another, and then struck with a thunderous force.
The Frey Knight's lance completely missed Ser Jaime, while Ser Jaime's lance hit him squirely on the shield. The force of that hit was so great that it knocked the knight completely on his back over the horse, but that knight somehow managed to cling onto his horse's reins and got back up without falling off.
Not that it'll be of much help. The Frey Knight was good, but Ser Jaime was leagues ahead of him. It was not a matter of if, but when.
The sound of rough coughing distracted her from the joust and she, along with many others, turned back to see Prince Joffrey coughing violently while sitting in the Queen's lap.
Rumours of the Prince's poor health has spread throughout the entirety of Kings Landing by this point.
The Queen had implored the King several times to recall Prince Stephen from his voyage, hoping that Stephen could heal Joffrey with his blessing. It wasn't until the King personally witnessed the severity of the situation that he finally agreed to bring Stephen back.
However, Prince Stephen was still voyaging on the other side of Westeros, and it would take some time for him to return. Moreover, whatever had befallen the Prince seemed to be worsening his health with each passing day.
Prince Joffrey's face was pallid, his breathing laboured, and his lips stained red with blood after each bout of coughing.
After Prince Joffrey's coughing fits subsided, the Queen and the King engaged in a tense whispered conversation that nearly escalated into a full-blown argument. The Queen then picked up her son and left the stands, accompanied by one of the Kingsguard. The other Kingsguard remained behind to protect the King.
Perhaps it was cruel of her to think so, especially since she was a mother herself, but she would not mind in the least if Joffrey Baratheon died from his illness.
Joffrey was a cruel and despicable child, even if most in the Red Keep seemed to turn a blind eye to his behavior. Moreover, if Joffrey were to die, it would bring her own man one step closer to the Iron Throne. She imagined Stephen sitting on the Iron Throne and her loins ached with need once again.
Maybe once he is the King and they've disposed of her husband, he could command her to remain behind in Kings Landing. And they'll be able to continue with their love affair without anyone else being the wiser. Though she doubted that such a thing would happen, considering that he wanted her to gain more influence in the Vale.
In accordance with his wishes, she had already selected three young ladies from the Vale to serve as her handmaidens. All from influential houses. She also went out of her way to support the knights and lords from the Vale who participated in the Tourney. This included providing them with better accommodations in the Red Keep and even securing entire taverns for them to stay in while they were in the city.
She didn't know how much that will help in increasing her influence, and could only hope for the best.
Once the Queen had left, Robert gave a gesture for the jousts to continue, and so it did.
The two knights charged towards each other with great speed and collided with a powerful force. The impact caused splinters to fly through the air as both lances shattered. However, Ser Jaime managed to stay on his horse while the Frey Knight was knocked off and dragged along the ground by his horse for several yards before coming to a stop.
—
Her fingers teased and played with her pussy lips and her back arched slightly at the sensation. Her pussy glistened with her juices and she licked her dry lips as she fondled her breasts and pinched her nipples with her other hand.
The image of Stephen formed into her mind and she imagined him pinning her against the bed, his large member pumping in and out of her in great thrusts. His crystal blue eyes staring into her own with love and care as he slaked his lust upon her body. Making use of her however he wanted.
One of her finger slipped inside the tight confines of her restored pussy, courtesy of her man. She closed her eyes and remembered how he pressed her against the cold, and hard stone wall, her nipples rubbing painfully against the solid surface as he grabbed hold of her waist and slammed his hips into her as he penetrated her.
Another finger joined in the first one as she remembered how he took her over to the window, giving her a view of the city as he spread her asshole apart with slow and steady movements. His cock sawing in and out of her backdoor as she cried and moaned in pain and pleasure.
"Oh Stephen…" She moaned softly in her bed as her fingers worked faster and faster into her pussy, slick juices coating her fingers as she recalled being taken by Stephen in various humiliating positions.
The crescendo of pleasure built faster and faster as her back arched, her hips gyrated against her pussy, her mouth latched onto her nipple and with one final suppressed moan, her eyes rolled in the back of her head as she released a deluge of feminine juices in her bed and finally came undone.
Her breasts rose up and down as she took deep breaths and stared into the ceiling of the room, wondering how long it'll take for Stephen to return to Kings Landing. And in how many new ways he'll take her once he does.
"Well… that was certainly something." A rough, familiar voice echoed from the corner of the room and she immediately sat up in the bed, her heart filled with great surprise as she tried to peer into the darkness of the room.
And then, from the dark corner of the room, a form emerged.
And her heart soared at the sight of that person since it was none other than her beloved.
She immediately got down from her bed, intent on jumping at him with a hug, only for her heart to still, and her expression to fall, as he backed away from her.
"Stephen…" She said, her voice breaking in the end, and her lips quivered as she stared at him. Her eyes begging to know why he won't hug her.
Stephen gave her a soft, sad smile as he raised his hand toward her.
She moved forward to take it and then blinked in surprise and shock as her hand outright passed through Stephen's.
She blinked in confusion as she stared back at her bed and then as Stephen. "Is this a dream?" She asked, not sure what was going on anymore.
"No," Stephen responded with a playful grin, motioning for her to take a seat on the bed. As she did, he knelt down in front of her, his eyes locked onto hers with a soft smile. "I am but a projection, a mirage if you will. I am here, but not truly."
She licked her lips as she tried to make sense of what he was talking about. But in the end, only one thought dominated her mind. "Are you alright? You're not hurt, are you?"
Stephen chuckled at his words but nodded. "Yeah. I'm alright. You don't need to worry about me." He reassured her.
She nodded, trusting his words. "But...how?" she inquired, curious.
"Magic." Stephen said with a smile but refused to elaborate. "I'm more curious about what you've been doing behind my back." He said before his eyes narrowed and his voice became dark and ominous. "I don't think I gave you permission to think of me when you pleasure yourself, did I, slut?"
Her pussy gushed and her thighs pressed together in delight as she remembered all the time he used that voice on her. All the times when he went extra hard on her. She was always left sore, and tired and even a bit hurt in the aftermath, but the pleasure was always worth it.
"I'm sorry master. But you haven't slept with me in a long while, and I'm a needy slut." She said, her breathing still heavy as her hands itched to play with her womanhood once again.
"That you are. Now tell me, my needy slut, what have you been doing in my absence?" He asked as he stood back up and stared down upon her.
She was hyper aware of how his crotch was only a few inches away from his face. And how she could've fished out his cock and taken it in her mouth and down her throat if he was actually here, and not in whatever form this was.
"I've been taking care of Robyn and working on increasing my influence among the Vale lords and ladies, as you asked of me."
"Hm… tell me about all this in detail." Stephen said and so she did.
They talked for the next hour or so, and she told him about everything that was going on in the city. The Tourney, Prince Joffrey's failing health, a new Master of Whispers, Cersei's worsening mood, her own husband's general neglect, Petyr's secret attempts at gaining her affection, and other such things.
Her love also told her about his own voyage. The altercations in Dorne. How he gained the service of Tyene and Sarella Sand. How he was now fucking both of them alongside Asha Greyjoy (something that she greatly approved of). How he succeeded in seducing and fucking Asha's mother but failed in his attempts to get a mother-daughter threesome.
He also informed her that he had finalised all the trade agreements with the Iron Islands, received the King's letter summoning him back to King's Landing without delay, and was currently sailing through the Sunset Sea with his fleet.
"How long will it take before you're back in the city, my love?" She asked as she took a daring step and lowered her nightgown, exposing her wet and eager pussy to him. "I'm wet and willing for you."
Stephen's eyes grew dark with desire as he stared at the pink flesh within her pussy before he let out a brief chuckle. "You've become naughty in my absence. I'll have to spank you once I return."
"I'll eagerly await your spankings my love. Just return to me quickly."
"Even if I travel as quickly as I can, it'll still take me a moon and a half to come back to Kings Landing. And that's if the winds are favourable. It might take me longer if the winds are against us."
Her heart ached as she learned just how long it'll take for her to reunite with him. "I see… "
Before this, his absence, while noticeable, was something that she could accept. But now that he was here and she still couldn't touch him, her yearning for him increased a thousandfold.
"You don't need to look so sad. You're making me feel bad for ignoring you." Stephen said and she mock glared at him.
"If you're feeling bad, then return more quickly to me." She told him, sounding petulant to her own ears.
"If only things were so easy." He said with a sad smile before he thought of something and perked up. "How about I give a task?"
"A task?"
"Yes. Something to distract you from your loneliness. A task that'll keep you busy for the next two moons until I'm back in Kings Landing."
She thought on it for a moment and realised that she didn't mind getting such a task. Being distracted from the slow ache of his noticeable absence was better than nothing.
"What task do you have in mind, my love?" She asked.
Stephen hummed at her words and looked into the distance for a moment before he turned back to look at her. "Tell me, Lysa. How do you feel about taking care of orphans?"
"Orphans?"
"Indeed," Stephen agreed with a nod. "Ever since I took responsibility for the orphans in the city, I've expended a considerable amount of gold and resources to ensure they are well-fed and healthy. However, I haven't been able to personally check on them. Would you be willing to do it in my place? To ensure that those children aren't suffering in my absence?"
"I'll do it." She blurted out before she remembered something and hesitated. "I do have a request though, if you don't mind."
He raised an eyebrow at that and for a moment, she feared that he'll refuse to hear her request but then he gave her a gesture to 'go ahead' and she inwardly sighed in relief.
"I…" She hesitated once again, not sure how to convey this to her love. "I…"
"You?" Stephen asked, waiting patiently for her to state her request.
"I… I want to have… another child." She bit her lip and added. "Your child. A son or a daughter, if you don't mind."
"You want to have… my baby." Stephen repeated her phrase with a blink, looking befuddled at her request.
She gave a slow nod, silently wondering if she asked too much from him.
"I see." Stephen said as he turned and stared outside the window. Seconds passed, the silence becoming more more oppressive as she fidgeted in her place but remained quiet; giving him all the time he needed to think on this.
After a long moment, he finally turned to look at her, an unreadable expression on his face as he took a deep breath and spoke up.
"Very well. I'll give you a son." He said but before she could cheer up at that, he continued speaking. "But… I have a condition."
"Condition?" She asked, feeling slight trepidation at the way he said that.
"Yes." Stephen nodded. "My son will inherit the castle of Eyrie. And his line will be the one that'll rule the Kingdom of Vale."
Her heart skipped a beat at those words and her mouth went dry. "What… what about my son, Robyn?" She asked, terrified of what Stephen would do to her son.
She loved Stephen more than life itself. But she also loved her son Robyn. And she didn't want one to suffer for the other. If having Stephen's child meant that her own son will end up dying then… she would rather not have that child.
Stephen smiled at her words. "Don't worry, I'll not harm your son, if that's what you're worried about. Or send him to the Wall."
"Then…"
"Your son will live a long, healthy life and have the freedom to pursue his desires. He will rule over the Eyrie and have everything he could wish for," Stephen assured her. "However, he will not have any children of his own. When he passes, my son will take his place and become the ruler of the Kingdom of Vale. Are you willing to accept this?"
She thought on it for a moment. A part of her felt that she was being selfish. That she should allow her son to live the life he wants. To have children and enjoy his life with them.
But she also remembered that it was Stephen who gave her son his good health in the first place. And without his blessing, her son wouldn't be healthy enough to survive till adulthood.
In the end, the one thing that made the decision for her, was that she wanted to be selfish.
For her entire life, other men had made decisions for her. Her father decided to abort her child, while Jon Arryn forced pregnancies upon pregnancies upon her. Something that ruined her health and mental condition.
For once in her life, she wanted to make a decision that was her own. For once in her life, she wanted to be selfish and not sacrifice her happiness for the sake of others.
So after a long moment, she gazed into Stephen's blue eyes and nodded.
"I accept your condition, my love. Now please come back quickly to Kings Landing and impregnate me. I'm waiting for you."
"I'll try my best, my lady." Stephen said with a graceful bow before he rose up and gave her a sad smile. "But it is time for us to part once again Lysa. I need to go now. Be safe, will you?"
She wanted to tell him to wait for a bit more. To talk with her through the night. But in the end, she curbed her impulses and simply nodded at him. "I will. And you be safe as well."
"I will. Goodnight Lysa." Stephen said before his form vanished from right in front of her.