Chapter 43: A Thousand Miles of Love

King's Landing, Red Keep, half a year after the Harrenhal Convention.

It was a dimly lit room, the only window was covered by curtains, and the only basic furniture in the small space was placed, a table, a chair, and a gorgeous silver harp stained with dust, apparently its owner had not touched it in a long time.

The air was filled with the smell of alcohol, and a decadent man could be seen lying on the ground in the sunlight shining through the gaps in the curtains.

He had a dense beard on his chin, his hair was long and tangled, his nose was red from the stimulation of alcohol, his face seemed to be covered with gray dust, his lips were chapped, and his body smelled of alcohol.

If it weren't for that silver hair, no one would have associated the decadent man in front of him with the heroic and heroic "Dragon Prince" Rhaegar Targaryen half a year ago.

Rhaegar awoke from his slumber and habitually raised the bottle in his hand to his lips, only to find that not a drop of liquid was coming out, and he shook the empty bottle, and after a while he realized that it was empty, so he tossed him aside and joined the ranks of other empty bottles piled up in a small mountain.

Rhaegar certainly has a reason to be drunk, as his relationship with his wife, Elia Martell, has reached an all-time low since he dedicated the "Crown of Love and Beauty" to Lyanna at a jousting tournament six months ago. And his father was a complete madman, and his mother blamed him every day for his recklessness, and it was wishful thinking to try to find solace in them.

Rhaegar lived in pain every moment without alcohol paralysis, Lyanna's face kept coming to his mind, she was calling him, she was waiting for him, but he was forced to meet her by his vows, he kept telling himself, "So far, I have nothing to do with her, she is destined to marry Robert Baratheon, the Duchess of Storm's End, I am a married man, my wife is Elia Martel." ”

But Rhaegar still couldn't help but think about her, who could control his own mind? If only people wouldn't be so scared at night that they watched horror movies during the day!

"Am I just going to watch her marry someone else?"

"Can't I, the future Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, even be able to stay with the people I love?"

"So what kind of bullshit prince am I?"

"I'll regret it, I'll regret it, I will." These thoughts just lingered in Rhaeggar's mind and tormented him.

The thought of Lyanna marrying Robert Baratheon, who was as strong as a black bear, made Rhaegar feel as if someone had stabbed a hole in her heart with a knife, and blood flowed from it.

During this time, Rhaegar tried to write a letter to Lyanna, but there was nothing in the letter, only a few simple greetings.

In fact, Rhaegar weighed over the contents of the letter, and he tore up an unknown number of letters, maybe hundreds? At first it was a heartfelt outpouring, then a poem of love, and finally a short greeting: "How are you doing in Winterfell?" ”

Unfortunately, there were no phone calls, text messages, or social media in those days, and this harmless greeting that Rhaegar had considered a thousand times, full of his affection and a thousand words, did not succeed in reaching Lyanna's hands.

In fact, it had been reduced to crumbs in Brandon's wrath, and even the poor carrier pigeon had paid with his life.

The most heartbreaking thing for Rhaegar was that he received an unsigned reply, the words on it were so cold, so ruthless, even the heat of midsummer could not eliminate the chill in Rhaeggar's heart, it was more like giving him a fatal blow, making him breathless.

He was soaking up the sun on his seaside balcony that day, staring into the distance, his eyes looking in the direction of Winterfell through the Blackwater River, and despite the distance between the two, it was as if Rhaegar could see Lyanna looking at him from one of the towers of Winterfell (which he did).

He plays the songs he wrote for Lyanna, reminiscing about the time between the two, and although the time was short, it made Rhaegar feel extremely fulfilling, love is really wonderful, it can make you feel confident in everything in life; Of course, if you lose it, you will immediately become depressed and want to commit suicide.

There was a knight there was a knight there was knight

Full body armor are all borrow

He may be short, he may be thin, he is short, he is thin

But he will have no fear

Big and tall big and tall

His enemy like a mountain

But he is fearless, he is fearless, but he has no fear, he has no fear

beaten them for justice

When I catch him take his mark

Oh! Suddenly I saw oh! suddenly I see

He is she, he is she, he is she, he is she

brave and beauty I never ever see

brave and beauty I never ever see

So I love her, I love her, so I love her, I love she

She is the one true love for me

(The soundtrack references the first two tunes of Castelme's rainy season)

As Rhaegar played his own music, immersed in his dreams and Lyanna's past and future, he received a reply that he had been thinking about day and night.

"There will be no more ties between you and me, I am Robert Baratheon's fiancΓ©e, and you have dishonored me!" The letter was so cold, as if it were a biting wind.

"Oh my God! Lyanna, do you think of me like that? I sacrificed everything for you, I betrayed my marriage vows, I abandoned my pride as a prince, I gave up my sense of honor as a knight, and endured the infamy of the Seven Kingdoms, just so that you could know my sincerity, in exchange for such a cruel answer? You know, I have nothing but you, power, wealth, honor, wine, and beauty that make me truly happy, and even my soul has long been around you, and my heart beats for you alone. At that moment, Rhaegar felt as if he had been condemned to death by fate, as if his strength had been stripped from his body by the gods, and he collapsed to the ground, and in the rest of the time he shut himself up in the tower of the Red Keep and began to drink heavily.

What Rhaegar didn't know, of course, was that, like the pigeons that were "eating" for one of the guards in Winterfell, none of the letters were successfully delivered to Lyanna, and the cold reply letter was of course written by Brandon.

Rhaegar spent a few more months in depression, and by this time it was already the depths of winter, and Rhaegar was as smart as Rhaegar was struck by a forged letter from Brandon (otherwise how can you say that people in love have an IQ of 0?). Maybe it's God's mercy? The cold brought by the snow actually made Rhaegar calm and sober, and he was able to think carefully.

He soon realized that there was something wrong with the letter, that this botched hoax had bothered him for so long.

He wrote his last letter in scribbled handwriting: "See you in Harrenhal in the spring, okay?" Then he sent out a carrier pigeon and let it fly into the blue sky with his last hope.

"I'm going to see Lyanna and ask her personally, even if she wants to reject me, I'm going to listen to her say it to me!" Rhaegar was so excited that he finally got down from the tower and ceased to be his "prince of the towers", and he got his servants to wash him, shave, cut his hair, and change his clothes, and then the personable and heroic "Dragon Prince" returned, and he rode his horse to Harrenhal with a few Kingsguards.

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Winterfell, months ago.

As Rhaegar thought, Lyanna sat on the windowsill, staring at King's Landing in the distance, imagining that Rhaegar was also gazing at herself affectionately, playing music for herself, and the power of their love seemed to transcend time and space, allowing them to meet in this moment.

Lyanna smiled, she laughed so happily, but it wasn't long before the laughter turned to sobs, tears running down the corners of her eyes and across her still smiling face.

She laughed as much as she cried, she loved Rhaegar and dreamed of seeing him again. She knew that Rhaegar loved him too, and she knew how much pain Rhaegar was carrying in order to express this love, and she wanted to hug him, put her ear to his chest, hear the beating of her heart, and caress his chest to comfort him.

But what separates the two is more than thousands of rivers and mountains? There are also people's contempt, malicious speculation and incomprehension, he is a married man, he is a famous lady in the boudoir, and the love between the two is destined to be unblessed by the gods.

"It's almost a year, and I haven't heard from you yet! Have you forgotten me? I know you don't want me to be infamous, so I'd rather play the role of a disciple just to let me know how much you love me. Lyanna thought, tears dripping down her cheeks and onto the front of her dress.

"But did you ask my mother? I don't want to be the Duchess of Storm's End, I don't want to be a lady, I just want you, the ends of the earth, as long as there is you! Lyanna curled up on the bed with her head in her hands in pain, sobbing silently.

Lyanna was sick, she didn't eat, she didn't drink, she was getting weaker and weaker, at first everyone thought she was just catching a cold, but even the bachelor couldn't do anything about her symptoms, and could only watch this proud snow rose, little by little.

She is sick, but she is suffering from lovesickness, how can it be treated with medicine?

Until one day, she suddenly got better, and no one knew why, except that their prayers to the old gods had been answered.

Only Lyanna knew that it was because of Bunyan, and yes, he watched his sister grow thinner and weaker, and in order not to lose her, he brought him news of Rhaegar.

"Lyanna, Lyanna!" Bunyan whispered her name at his sister's bedside.

"Rhaeggar, Rhaeggar, don't leave me!" Hearing his sister's shout, Bunyan knew that the "prescription" he brought was exactly the right medicine.

He nudged Lyanna's shoulder, and Lyanna woke up from her dream.

"I know why you're sick, you've seen Rhaeggar, right?"

"Of course I've seen Rhaegar at the tournament!"

"You know I'm not talking about the time when he gave you the 'crown of love and beauty' at the tournament, but when you pretended to be the 'Smiling Tree Knight'!"

"He's got that shield, so you must have seen him before!" Bunyan said firmly, and Lyanna just nodded silently, her dull eyes as if they were lost in thought.

"You shouldn't love him! His wife is Elia Martell, and your fiancΓ© is Robert Baratheon! Do you know what that means? ”

Lyanna just nodded silently, tears streaming down her cheeks like pearls.

"There's only one way to die if you love him! But...β€’β€’β€’" Bunyan's tone was still loose.

"But I don't want to see you die in front of me right now! To give! An ordinary envelope could no longer have been handed to Lyanna by Bunyan, the yellowed paper, apparently once stained with water and then dried, apparently disagreed with by some people.

It was Rhaeggar's last letter, the handwriting on it was a little blurry, but it was still legible, "See you in Harrenhal in the spring, okay?" Who would have thought that such a small letter seemed to have infinite magical power, and that these short words were more effective than a booster, and that Lyanna's originally dim eyes suddenly had light again, and life seemed to return to this body again.

"I got this letter when I was just hunting, and I shot the pigeon, and found it on it. You can rest assured that no one else has seen this letter. "Even Bunyan knew who the owner of the letter was, it had to be Rhaeggar.

"By the way, there were several letters from 'that person' before, but they were found by the eldest brother and torn up by him, and I only found out after seeing someone eating roast pigeons and asking." Bunyan replied as he turned back before turning to leave.

"Thank you, Bunyan!" Lyanna felt that the gods had favored her again, and she rose cheerfully from her bed and said to Bunyan.

Bunyan just smiled back at her, but he didn't have a feeling of melancholy, whether it was right or wrong to do this!

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Harrenhal, on the shores of God's Eye Lake, early spring.

The snow melting in the sun, the biting cold wind in the shade, and the stabbing pain in the throat with every breath indicate that winter has not gone far.

A young girl rode through the woods, her long brown hair fluttering in the breeze, she wore a fur coat and a pure white fur cloak, and she rode so skillfully that anyone who did not look closely at her would think she was a fawn walking through the woods.

Her face was beaming with joy and her smile was brighter than the spring sun, she seemed to be a messenger of spring, and as she passed, everything revived, and the snow on the ground melted at a speed visible to the naked eye.

She's none other than Lyanna, "It's not far from Harrenhal!" She thought to herself, she couldn't wait to see Rhaegar and her heart beat like a fawn to a cheerful rhythm.

She was so full of anticipation that her eyes were as bright as stars, and the closer she got, the more urgent she became, and when she saw the tall spire of Harrenhal, her excitement reached beyond measure.

She was a little shy and a little scared, "Did he miss me?" Will he not be there? Like all girls in love, she was just as fond of cranky thinking, and she was afraid that it was just an empty joy, and that in the end she would see only half-melted water.

As she got closer and closer to Harrenhal, the fear in her heart was occupied by memories little by little, the events of a year ago seemed to be close at hand, the former arena had become a meadow again, but she could still see Rhaegar on the field, and the lake that was no different from before, everywhere she went, she could see Rhaeggar's figure.

When she rode to the shore of the Divine Eye Lake, for a moment, all the shyness and fear in her heart were swept away, and she was filled with a deep joy and excitement.

Because Lyanna saw that figure, his long silver hair fluttering slightly in the cold wind, and his bright red cloak draped behind him, he turned his back to Lyanna and stared into the distance.

Lyanna ran up and hugged him from behind, fearing that it was another phantom from a myriad of dreams, or a replay of a memory.

"You're here!" Rhaeggar's voice sounded in the wind, perhaps because of the wind, and his voice sounded staccato as if the notes had been blown away by the wind.

Lyanna didn't speak, she just hugged Rhaegar tightly, she was afraid that it was another dream, "If this is a dream, let me sleep a little longer!" She knew that if she spoke in her dream, the dream would dissipate!

Rhaegar wasn't as warm as he thought, but it was a real presence, and Lyanna's hug gave him a hint of warmth.

"You're so cold!" It was a long time before Lyanna spoke.

"I arrived ten days ago, from dawn to dusk every day, I almost thought you wouldn't come!" Rhaegar turned around and wrapped her cloak around Lyanna, took her in her arms, and kissed her forehead.

Lyanna's embrace didn't give Rhaega much physical warmth, but it seemed to ignite a fire in his heart that made him no longer afraid of the cold.

"If you can't wait for me any longer, will you leave?" Lyanna asked softly as she snuggled into Rhaeggar's arms and felt his embrace.

"No, I'll wait until spring passes and summer comes."

"How are you doing in Winterfell? Did you receive my letter? Rhaegar's voice trembled as he asked the question.

"Your heart is beating so fast! Those letters were torn to shreds by my big brother Brandon, but I received the last one, otherwise how do you think I would be here? Lyanna laughed playfully as she felt Rhaeggar's trembling and fierce heartbeat.

"So you never wrote me back?" Faced with the fact that his conjecture was almost confirmed, Rhaeggar's heart jumped.

"No, never, how? Have you ever heard back from 'me'? That must have been written by that bastard Brandon! Lyanna also realized that Brandon must not have written anything good, and said hatefully.

"I love you!" Aoxue Rose, who is usually wild, held back for a long time this time before she held back such a sentence as thin as a mosquito and a fly, and for this reason, she held back the fair-skinned Shengxue's face.

"I love you too!" This was Rhaegar's happiest moment, and this was the answer he had been looking for all his life, and there was no more pleasing word in the world than this one, not even the words of the archbishop proclaiming Rhaegar crowned king.

"Take me away! I can't live without you, I don't want to go back to Winterfell, I don't want to be the lady of the Duke of Bear, I just want you, the ends of the earth, as long as I have you, I'm willing to go." Lyanna curled up in Rhaeggar's arms like a little beast, sobbing slightly.

For Rhaeggar, this is simply the most beautiful dream in reality, he wants to live with Lyanna too much, he is willing to give up a switch to take Lyanna's love, but he knows better how to let Lyanna live a happy life, love is not impulsive, let alone possession, a man who really loves will never let the woman he loves accompany him to suffer.

"I'm a married man, you know, my wife is Elia Martell." Rhaegar choked up when he said this, he regretted it as soon as he said it, he was afraid of losing Lyanna like this, but he didn't want to lie to her.

"Do you love her?" Rhaegar shook his head decisively.

"The only thing I love is you, you are the only person in the Seven Kingdoms who makes my heart move, I am willing to abandon the identity of a prince, just to live with you, we can cross the Narrow Sea, go to Pantos, go to Yasha, go to a place where no one knows us." Lyanna shook her head, and held out a slender jade finger to gag Rhaegar's mouth.

"I love the melancholy singer named Rhaegar Targaryen, the knight who showed me his love for the 'crown of love and beauty', a young singer who loves freedom but is bound like me, a man with a benevolent and righteous heart, not the 'dragon prince' who scolds Fang Xuan." Lyanna gave Rhaegar a smile and kissed Rhaegar sweetly on the lips.

"Do I have the privilege to protect you all the way back? My lady! Rhaegar bowed again, smiled, and took Lyanna's hand.

Lyanna smiled, wasn't that what Rhaegar said when she helped herself up that day?

"Go back? Where to go back? Lyanna asked, puzzled.

"Go back to the house that belongs to just the two of us!" Rhaegar picked her up and said to her with a smile, his smile brighter than ever.

"Where is our home?" Lyanna already understood what Rhaegar meant, and she buried her little face under her shirt with a little curiosity and a little shyness.

"A place with warm sunshine and sandy beaches, completely different from the north. You'll love it! Regazema led Lyanna south.

"As long as it's with you, you can go anywhere!" Lyanna snuggled quietly into Rhaeggar's arms, her face filled with happiness and unspeakable joy.

The figures of the two disappeared into the woods, and at this time they did not expect what kind of consequences this love would cause.