No Grave Can Hold My Body Down

no grave can hold my body down

Harwin Strong lives and finds his way back to his princess.

Rhaenyra had been in the midst of a restless sleep when the guards had come to her chambers in the hours before dawn but the news of an unknown boat spotted on the shores of Dragonstone had a knot of panic filling her stomach. She'd been quick to throw a dressing gown on over her shift, the rest of her modesty be damned. Her footsteps echoed through empty halls as she made her way down to the main hall, the young guard who'd come to her having no more information than what he'd told her at first. A million possibilities went through her mind as she pushed sleep further and further away. And each one of those fled from her mind once she came to stand in the Great Hall of the Stone Drum.

Her heart caught in her throat at the sight of the man standing there, hood still raised and hand resting on the hilt of a sword as the tourney knights of Dragonstone eyed him. They did not know him but she would've recognized the figure anywhere in the world. He'd been her shadow for the better part of a decade, the companion who'd kept her off the ledge time and time again when pushed to the limits by the people at court. And after the raven that she'd received three days earlier, she'd thought she'd never see him again.

The hood was pulled back and that familiar smile greeted her, the same he'd given her when he'd first held Joffrey in her chambers two moons past, and every ounce of decorum left her. This was Dragonstone - her castle, her home, and if any one of the people here chose to whisper about her she'd deal with it herself. For now, there was no thought in her mind other than pure and utter relief as she ran across the cold stone floor and launched herself into his arms.

Harwin caught her without any issue, strong arms that had held her time and time before wrapping around her with a comfort she'd been desperately missing. He wore no armor, just a wool doublet that made it easy to feel the warmth of him against her. Her face buried itself in his neck, breathing in the smell of him, that earthy scent that had once lingered on her sheets in the Red Keep long after he'd left for his post and comforted her in the early hours of her mornings. She breathed it in in deep gasps, wanting to have it surround her and ground her and make her truly believe this was real.

"Come now, princess, I haven't been gone that long," were words mumbled against her hair, a gentle teasing in his low rumbling voice that brought a watery smile to her lips. A short laugh broke through the sobs that had been wracking her body and he held her a little tighter.

"I thought you were dead," was her reply, finally feeling her feet reach the ground as he set her down. She looked up at him, finally seeing his face properly. His eyes were tired and there were new lines on his face that seemed to age him a bit. And when she spotted the healing burns peeking under his collar, she felt her blood go cold as the stories she'd been told bled into the reality before her. "Word came that the fire at Harrenhal had taken both you and your father and I -"

A warm hand cradled her face and stopped her words, his forehead bending to press against hers. "It'll take more than cowards with torches to kill me, more than Harren's curse to keep me from you and the boys. The Stranger himself will have to come and drag me away if the gods decide it's my time to go."

Her lips found his, any witnesses be damned and a happiness she hadn't dreamed of filling her the longer she stood in his arms. "He'll face the fury of us both and have to face down Syrax if the gods wish to take you from me again. I won't have you gone from my side again. Your place is here, as it always has been and always will be."

"As my princess commands."

Tags

harwin strong rhaenyra targaryen harwin x rhaenyra hotd fanfic rhaewin fanfic one day i will actually format something like an actual story but today is not that day this is just me writing with no beta and no idea of if what i'm doing is right i just want him to be alive fandom: asoiaf show: hotd chara: harwin strong chara: rhaenyra targaryen ship: harwin x rhaenyra mine mywriting* let me know what you guys think! unless you think it's bad then just ignore me because i cant handle harsh criticism