The Stronghammer - CH - 37

Robert stood near the shadowed entrance to their hidden meeting place, his heart racing with anticipation. The wind from Blackwater Bay blew in soft gusts, stirring the trees around him as he waited. Memories flooded back—whispered promises, shared laughter, and stolen moments in this very spot. He hadn’t realized just how much he missed her until now, standing here, yearning for her familiar presence.

Before long, soft footsteps approached, and a figure cloaked in deep red slipped out from the secret passage. Rhaenyra’s face lit up when she saw him, and she hurried forward, throwing her arms around him in a fierce embrace. Robert returned the hug, holding her tightly, feeling the months of separation vanish in that moment.

“Robert,” she murmured, her voice a mixture of relief and frustration. “You didn’t send word, not even a single letter. I thought… I thought you’d died out there. Everyone said it was madness to try and build a kingdom in Essos, that you’d be swallowed up by warlords and forgotten.”

Robert smiled softly, brushing a stray lock of silver hair from her face. “It wasn’t easy, I’ll admit. But I promised you I’d return, Rhaenyra. I wouldn’t leave you alone in this pit of vipers.”

She stepped back slightly, her violet eyes searching his face with a mix of relief and reproach. “So you really did it? You built something out there, a kingdom of your own?”

“A kingdom,” he nodded, his voice firm but quiet. “I’ve claimed the Axe, a place most would consider untamable. I’ve built walls, gathered people willing to follow me, and kept our enemies at bay. It’s a hard land, but it’s ours. And I want you there, by my side, as its queen.”

Rhaenyra’s gaze softened, but worry clouded her expression. “Robert, my father has promised me to Laenor Velaryon. The court has already begun the preparations for the wedding. I don’t know if I can just… walk away.”

“Do you love him?” Robert asked, his tone gentle but piercing.

She shook her head, the answer clear in her eyes. “No. But love means little in these games, Robert. My father believes that this marriage will strengthen the realm, that the Velaryon fleet will secure our kingdom’s future.”

Robert’s jaw clenched, but he softened, understanding the weight of her duty. “I know the pressures you’re under, but there is more than one way to strengthen a kingdom. With me, you’ll have the power to protect what’s yours without bending to others’ will.”

Rhaenyra bit her lip, torn between her heart and her obligations. “It’s not that simple. My father will never agree to it. He’ll see it as a betrayal, and if I leave with you, it could mean open rebellion. The Velaryons won’t take this lightly.”

“Let me speak with him,” Robert suggested. “Let me offer him a choice. I’m no penniless knight anymore. I’ve made allies, built something solid. If I can prove myself, maybe he’ll see that there’s more to gain by aligning with me.”

She smiled, though sadness lingered in her eyes. “If only it were that easy. My father is cautious, but he’s stubborn when it comes to family matters. He doesn’t want to risk the Targaryen line with anything uncertain. But… I want to believe in us, Robert. I’ve missed you more than I can say.”

Robert took her hands, his thumb brushing across her knuckles. “Then take a chance with me. Whatever it takes, we’ll find a way. I’ll make sure you have a place where you’re free to be yourself, not the pawn of someone else’s ambition.”

She paused, a flicker of discomfort crossing her features. She looked away, a shadow of something unreadable in her eyes. “Robert… my father’s made it clear that my future lies in Westeros. He’s kept me as his heir, despite the birth of my brothers. I have a duty here that I can’t just abandon.”

“Is it duty, or is it ambition, Rhaenyra?” he asked, his voice low, but steady. “I’m offering you freedom. A life with me, away from all this.”

“Ambition?” she repeated, her voice sharper, a glint of steel in her eyes. “This is my birthright, Robert. The Iron Throne—it’s not just power. It’s my legacy. I can’t simply walk away from that.”

“So that’s it, then,” he said, bitterness creeping into his tone. “You’d rather be a queen in chains than rule freely at my side.”

She took a step closer, her voice softening. “It doesn’t have to be either-or. You could stay here, with me. Even after my… union with Laenor. He wouldn’t mind.”

Robert’s brows knit in confusion. “What?”

“Laenor… he prefers the company of men,” she explained, an almost casual tone in her voice. “He wouldn’t object if I kept a… lover. We could be together, in secret. We’d have everything we wanted. You’d just need to accept him as my husband in name.”

The words hit him like a slap. He stared at her, a sick feeling churning in his gut. “You’re asking me to be your secret lover? So that my own children would be named after the Velaryon line? So that I’d live in the shadows, at your beck and call?”

“It’s not like that, Robert,” she insisted, a tinge of desperation in her voice. “You’d be with me. Isn’t that enough?”

“No, it’s not,” he replied, his voice as cold as steel. “I was talking about making you my queen. You’re talking about hiding me away, making me a part of your ambition. Do you realize what you’re asking of me?”

Her face hardened, defiant. “And what do you expect of me, Robert? To throw away the Iron Throne, my claim, for a life in some forgotten corner of Essos?”

“I expected you to want more than a crown,” he said, hurt creeping into his voice despite himself. “I thought you wanted a life with me. I thought you cared.”

Her expression softened, and for a moment, he thought she might reconsider. “Robert… I do care. I love you. But I am meant to rule. The Seven Kingdoms are in my blood. I cannot turn my back on that.”

A bitter laugh escaped him. “So be it. You can have your throne, your crown. But I won’t be a pawn in your games. If that’s the life you want, you can stay here in King’s Landing. But if you decide you want something real, something free, you know where to find me.”

She hesitated, the longing clear in her eyes, but the ambition was there too, just beneath the surface. “Robert… please, stay here. With me.”

He shook his head. “I offered you a kingdom. You offered me shadows. I won’t live like that, Rhaenyra. I have my own people now, my own land. If you want a life together, come with me. Otherwise… this is goodbye.”

As Robert sat alone in the dim light of the tavern, the reality of Rhaenyra’s decision began to sink in. He’d offered her a place at his side, a land where they could rule freely, away from the schemes and dangers of King’s Landing. But that vision hadn’t been enough for her—not when it meant walking away from the Iron Throne.

He ran a hand through his hair, replaying her words from their last meeting in his mind. She had spoken about duty and responsibility, but there had been something else in her eyes—a glint of longing not just for him, but for the power and title she’d been raised to see as her birthright. He’d told himself it was her father’s influence, her family’s pressure. But deep down, he realized now that it was more than that. Rhaenyra wanted to be Queen of Westeros.

It stung, knowing he couldn’t be enough for her without the promise of a crown. His heart had clung to the idea of building something with her—a kingdom in Essos, free from the web of alliances and betrayals that poisoned the Westerosi court. He wanted a partner, an equal, not a queen who’d be constantly looking back across the Narrow Sea to what she left behind.

He took a deep breath, steadying himself. If Rhaenyra wouldn’t come, then he would return to Essos alone. His people needed him, his kingdom on the Axe was growing, and he would see it prosper. No more would he be a wandering knight or a man haunted by what he could never have. His path was clear now, even if it was one he’d walk without her.

The next morning, he made his way back through the secret tunnels of King’s Landing, careful to avoid attention as he prepared to leave the city once more. Galen, one of his oldest friends from the Blackstone Legion, met him near the outskirts, sensing something had changed.

“You’re leaving, aren’t you?” Galen asked, reading the decision on Robert’s face.

Robert nodded, his expression set. “There’s nothing left for me here, Galen. Rhaenyra… she’s made her choice. She wants the throne more than she wants me.”

Galen sighed, placing a hand on Robert’s shoulder. “I had a feeling. She’s been groomed her whole life to rule, to be Queen. It’s hard to walk away from that.”

“She had the chance, Galen. I offered her something real—our own kingdom, where we could live free. But she wouldn’t take it.” He shook his head, a trace of bitterness in his voice. “Maybe I was wrong to think we wanted the same things.”

“Then let it be a lesson,” Galen replied quietly. “Sometimes the people we love are not the people who can stand with us in the end. You’ve built something out there, Robert, something rare. Go back to it, and let her go.”

Robert took a deep breath, feeling a weight lift as he made peace with his decision. “You’re right. I have people who need me, a kingdom that’s still finding its strength. That’s where I’m needed.”

Robert's heart felt heavier than ever as he addressed the Blackstone Legion. He was giving up Rhaenyra, his first love, and asking his brothers-in-arms to give up the world they knew for an uncertain future in Essos. He knew it wouldn’t be easy to convince them; many of these men had sacrificed too much already to end up wandering foreign lands, clinging to the idea of justice that had never been welcomed by Westerosi nobility. But Robert had hope—hope for a kingdom where the Blackstone Legion would not just be mercenaries but defenders, respected and honored.

Holden Cross stood before him with arms crossed, listening intently but with a hint of skepticism in his gaze. Around them, the Blackstone warriors were watching, their expressions a mix of curiosity, doubt, and, for some, a glimmer of excitement at the possibilities Robert described.

“Brothers,” Robert began, his voice steady but passionate, “we have fought and bled in the shadows, waging wars most of Westeros would rather ignore. We've upheld justice, yes, but always from the shadows, always as outlaws. And we all know that it doesn’t have to be this way. Across the Narrow Sea, Essos suffers worse than anything Westeros has seen. In the lands where lawlessness is the law, people live in terror, at the mercy of slavers, Dothraki raiders, and those who prey on the weak. And I am offering you the chance to be more than just shadows in Westeros. In my kingdom, you will be recognized, respected. The Legion will no longer hide.”

A low murmur rippled through the gathered warriors. Some glanced at each other, nodding in agreement, while others crossed their arms or furrowed their brows. Holden narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, glancing at the men around him before speaking.

"And if we go with you, Stronghammer," Holden asked, his tone serious, "what’s to stop the lords and the power-brokers of Essos from treating us the same way Westeros did? How do we know we won’t end up back in the shadows?”

Robert met Holden’s gaze directly. “Because I am not offering you the same life we had here. I’m offering you the opportunity to help build a nation—a nation where the Legion doesn’t hide in back alleys but stands in broad daylight, a place where every man, woman, and child knows that the Blackstone Legion stands for justice. In my kingdom, you will be the law, the shield for the weak. You’ll be the ones who keep the Dothraki and slavers at bay. No one will forget you, Holden. And our order will be one everyone recognizes.”

A few of the Legion members exchanged glances, intrigued by the vision he painted. A younger warrior spoke up, his voice steady but filled with doubt. “And if it doesn’t work? What if Essos chews us up and spits us out? We’ve been betrayed by ‘honor’ before.”

Robert took a breath, looking each of them in the eye. “If Essos throws us out, then we go down fighting. But we have the chance here to make something greater than just ourselves. We have a chance to be remembered.”

Holden studied Robert carefully, his expression unreadable, then glanced around the room. After what felt like a long silence, he finally nodded. “If you’re certain of this path, Stronghammer, then so be it. The Legion will follow.”

The tension in the room eased, replaced by an undercurrent of excitement and purpose. Men who had long believed their path was set in shadow and secrecy now looked at each other with fresh resolve. They knew the road ahead wouldn’t be easy, but for the first time, it felt like their work could matter beyond just survival.

Robert felt a sense of triumph and pride. The Blackstone Legion, his chosen family, had agreed to follow him into a new chapter—a chance to be not only warriors but builders of a kingdom. It was the start of something neither they nor the world would forget.