History Fanfic / ALionsDuty

* AdaptationalBadass: Joffrey in this fic is ''far'' more competent than he ever was in either the [[Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire books]] or the [[Series/GameOfThrones show]]. In large part thanks to being fostered in the North by Eddard Stark.

* AdaptationalVillainy: Thanks to more Targaryens being alive, Robert is far more unhinged than he ever was in the book or the show. He eventually [[spoiler:[[MoralEventHorizon goes over the deep end and has his men set fire to a Targaryen camp, killing solider and innocent alike while the couldn't fight back just so he can kill Rhaenys]]]].

** She asks a similar question to Rhaenys in regards to whose justice would be sought. This actually catches her off-guard, as she has no answer.
* ArrangedMarriage: Jaime is set up into one with Allyria Dayne very early in the story. It becomes a case of HappilyMarried years later. There are other marriages in the story, but they aren't exactly happy:

** Downplayed and ultimately subverted with Rhaegar. While Jaime acknowledges that Rhaegar's actions removed him of honor, he ultimately still sees him as the ideal prince that should have been.
** Jaime doesn't particularly see his father in a good light following the Sack of King's Landing, as seen through their rather caustic first meeting in years.

* ForWantOfANail: Jaime running off with Rhaenys to Dorne sets off a lot of dominoes.
** Robert is a lot more unhinged here thanks to more Targaryens being alive.
** Thanks to Jaime saving Rhaenys, House Targaryen has much more power and influence in Westeros. Mace and his family stay loyal rather than bend knee to the usurpers, though they still had to get Olenna to agree.
** Viserys never sold his mother's crown, so he is ''slightly'' less unhinged than he was in canon. However, he's still not a good person by any means. This is in large part due to Oberyn discovering Willem Darry and being able to send them to Mopitas earlier than canon.
** Without Jaime around in King's Landing, Cersei was forced to have Robert's children. So Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen are all true born Baratheons in this fic rather than Jaime's bastard children posing as Robert's. Although only Tommen is completely Baratheon in appearance while Joffrey looks like a black haired Lannister and Myrcella looks completely Lannister.
** Robert being more proactive in Joffrey's upbringing and having him fostered under Ned Stark led to him growing up far more noble than his monstrous canon counterpart, though he's still rather prideful.
** Jon being brought South with his father and siblings to enjoy some freedoms puts a hold on his desire to join the Night's Watch, at least for the moment.
** Since Jaime was in Dorne and could never return to Casterly Rock, Tyrion ran away from home at a young age due to lack of love outside his aunts and uncles, who were rarely there. He eventually found his way to Jaime and House Martell, and now unofficially serves the Targaryen agenda.
** Arianne became more privy to her father's plans to wed her to Viserys much earlier than the books. This led to her joining Tyrion in his trip to Essos to meet her Prince and aid him. This also leads to Viserys's delusionals being a bit more tempered down.
** Since Robert's children are biologically his, Jon and Stannis don't investigate Cersei's infidelity and Stannis himself stays loyal to the Iron Throne rather than rebel.

** During the tourney of the Reach, a Baratheon and his fellow Stark fought against a man in Targaryen armor and a Martell, almost exactly like the Battle of the Trident. Unfortunately, it's deconstructed as it was ''so'' similar to those events that Robert sent his Kingsguard down there to fight with his son. This is one of the events that would lead to the civil war.

** Myrcella still looks just like she did in canon, and while Joffrey is a true born Baratheon, he only has the Baratheon hair. Everything else about his appearance is Lannister.

** Jaime blames himself not for killing Aerys, [[AssholeVictim the prick had it coming]], but beats himself up for not being fast and brave enough to save the rest of the royal family from his madness.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: While Joffrey is really self-righteous, he does ultimately have redeeming qualities. He felt guilt over his cousin, Joanna's, [[spoiler:supposed death]] and is good friends with Robb, Theon, and Jon Snow. He's also capable of recognizing that his pride is causing more harm than good, and tries to get Eddard to help him with it.
* JerkassHasAPoint: Even though Joffrey was acting out of rage when he had a noble thrown into the dungeon for insulting him, he was right about the noble's accusations toward a peasant that "attacked" being unfounded. Despite the noble stating that his servants saw the attack, Joffrey is right in saying that he needs unbiased sources of evidence to be absolutely sure. He also has a solid point that holding Eddard Stark for treason is a dumb move, as it invites his lords and servants to march down South and put them all to the sword, not to mention that it could cost them their strongest ally.

** It's clearly obvious that Tywin prefers his grandchildren by his eldest son, especially Joanna since she's the spitting image of his deceased wife.

* PassedOverInheritance: Since Jaime's status is slightly complicated - not only did he brake his oath, he was never was supposed to reclaim his birthright - Tywin picked his eldest son Arthur to become lord of the Westerlands after him.

** Robert was ''utterly heartbroken'' after Jon Arryn's death.

The rebellion is over. Rhaegar is dead, his brother on the run, and the Mad King now lies dead at the foot of the Iron Throne. His killer? His own Kingsguard, Jaime Lannister. He had done it, he had saved all of King's landing from burning in Wildfire, but at the cost of his honor. Tywin's men enter the throne room to bring Jaime back to his father, but as one leaves to inform Tywin of his son's safety, Jaime asks the other, Lord Roland Crakenhall, if they could proclaim for Rhaegar's children. He is informed that Tywin had sent Ser Gregor Clegane and some men to kill them. [[ForWantOfANail That is all Jaime needs to make a decision that changes the fate of the Seven Kingdoms forever]].

** Renly and Margery. Of course, [[TheBeard it's only a front]].

* HundredPercentAdorationRating: The people of Dorne and the Reach ''absolutely love'' Rhaenys. Even Arya sees her in a positive light after first meeting her.

** Thanks to never selling his mother's crown and Arianne Martell working to temper his insanity, Viserys is less of a monster than he was in the books, though he is still by no means a saint. He also seems somewhat more accepting of the reality that his father was an insane lunatic, [[RealityEnsues but that doesn't mean he has to like Jaime or anyone who rebelled against him]].

** Daenerys and Khal Drogo. If her POV is anything to go by, it's more like the show where [[MaritalRapeLicense their marriage was less pleasant]].

** After Robert [[spoiler:burns down the Targaryen/Martell camp]], the Starks no longer see Robert in a particularly good light. However, they still have to serve him due to being sworn to his family.

** Downplayed and Subverted with Rhaegar. While Jaime acknowledges that Rhaegar's actions removed him of honor, he ultimately still sees him as the ideal prince that should have been.
** Jaime doesn't particularly see his father in a good light following the Sack of King's Landing.

** Joanna is named after her grandmother. Tywin notes that, aside from the Dayne eyes, she's the spitting image of his late wife in almost every way.

** Joanna. Tyrion has certainly rubbed off on her.

** Jaime and Barristan. Both are MasterSwordsman, both are viewed as ideals of the KnightInShiningArmor, and both are the last remnants of Aerys Kingsguard. However, while Jaime betrayed his king by killing him, he remained loyal to House Targaryen by saving Rhaenys. Barristan, meanwhile, obeyed Aerys to the end, yet betrayed House Targaryen by joining the rebels when he assumed that the all Targaryens were dead. Both ended up suffering great losses due to the rebellion, but Jaime gained a family and place at Rhaenys's side as her most trusted protector, becoming one of the most revered figures in Dorne; while Barristan lost his honor due to joining the rebels and is subject to mockery by his own Kingsguard due to his old age and past failures.

** Without Jaime around in King's Landing, Cersei was forced to have Robert's children. So Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen are all true born Baratheons in this fic. Although only Tommen is completely Baratheon in appearance while Joffrey looks like a black haired Lannister and Myrcella looks completely Lannister.

** Since Jaime was in Dorne and could never return to Casterly Rock, Tyrion ran away from home at a young age due to lack of love outside his aunts and uncles, who were rarely there. He eventually found his way to Jaime and House Martell, and now unofficially serves the Targaryen cause.

** Since Robert's children are biologically his, Jon and Stannis don't investigate Cersei's infidelity and Stannis himself stays loyal to the Iron Throne.
* GreyAndGrayMorality: Most of the very worst of Westeros is absent so far. While audience sympathy is generally with the Martells, it’s obvious that good people are going to die on both sides when war breaks out.

** Eddard and Barristan can't really see the good in Jaime's actions due to them taking vows very seriously.

** Allyria ripped Ned a new one for the killing of her brother and the suicide of her sister. She even stands up to Tywin, and the Old Lion gives her his respect for it. Better make it Silk Hiding ''Valyrian Steel''.

** Both Doran and Robert are royals bearing Targaryen blood in them due to past marriages between their respective families. Both are driven by vengeance against those who wronged them, but they have many notable differences. Robert was originally a lord, but conquered his way to royalty, while Doran was born into the Princely house of Martell. While they both seek revenge against those they feel wronged by(the Targaryens for Robert and the Lannisters for Doran); their methods are completely distinct. Robert would prefer a more direct approach, and would have just had his armies march to Dorne after the rebellion had Jon not talked him out of it. Doran makes use of a more cautious and manipulative methodology, determining who would be most useful to him to achieve his ends.

** Jon Arryn still dies the same way. Of course, considering Peytr and Varys, it was probably inevitable no matter what happened.

* {{Jerkass}}:
** Robert is one, and a lot more of one than he was in canon.
** Tywin as well.
** Was anyone expecting Cersei to not be this?
** Gerold Dayne really enjoys getting under Jaime's skin.

** Olenna. You don't screw around with the Queen of Thorns of you want the Tyrells on your side.

* BrokenPedestal: After Robert [[spoiler:burns down the Targaryen/Martell camp]], the Starks no longer see Robert in a particularly good light. However, they still have to serve him due to being sworn to his family.

* ArmorPiercingQuestion:
** Arya asks Jaime what the difference is between justice and revenge. Jaime casually gives her his response.
--->'''Jaime''': If I would cut you down where you stand, that would be vengeance for my murdered daughter. But that would not be justice. Vengeance is blood for blood, to make someone else suffer for the pain you endured yourself. Justice is punishing the man who has murdered your loved one, not his innocent wife or children.
*** She asks a similar question to Rhaenys in regards to whose justice would be sought. This actually catches her off-guard, as she has no answer.

** Jaime was heavily disillusioned by his time serving as [[{{TheCaligula}} Aerys]] Kingsguard. By the time the series started he was an AntiVillain but was still ruthless and would commit horrible actions(i.e. Pushing an innocent child out of a window to hide his [[{{Twincest}} affair with Cersei]], crippling him and crushing his dream of being a knight). Here, he's far more noble and actively tries to reign in the more pragmatic and callous actions that his brother and Doran are willing to commit.

[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9322845/1/A-Lion-s-duty A Lion's Duty]] is a fanfic written by [[https://www.fanfiction.net/u/2767381/Sereven Sereven]] and set in the world of ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire''. It explores the possibility of Jaime being able to save one of the Targaryen children from death, in this case Rhaenys, and becoming her most trusted protector. His action has effected the future of Westeros greatly, but he nonetheless stands proudly as a Lion of Dorne. It hasn't been updated since late 2014 however. WordOfGod confirms that the story will eventually continue, but it is currently undergoing mass edits.

!!Tropes describing A Lion's Duty:

* RealityEnsues:
** While people are now aware that Jaime's killing of the Mad King had noble intentions behind it, he still gets seen as an Oathbreaker, just not to the extent that he was in canon.
** While Tyrion does try to reign in Viserys's temper and properly educate him, months of attempts do not undo years of deliberately butchered tutoring from Illyrio. Many of his attempts to change the prince have been unsuccessful, and while Arainne has been having more success, Viserys is still more than a bit of a prick.
** Sorry Barry. You may acknowledge that you were wrong in serving Robert, but that doesn't mean Rhaenys is going to instantly forgive or trust you after you've spent almost two decades serving the fat king.
** Daenerys can never truly bring herself to trust Tyrion because of what his family had done to her father. Regardless of Jaime's intent, he still killed her father. The fact that she grew up on stories of him being wrongfully betrayed only furthers this.
*** Something to remember is that Viserys was Aerys's [[ParentalFavoritism preferred child]], and thanks to his mother sheltering him from Aerys's more insane side, he grew up with the "nicer" side of his father. While his conversations with Tyrion and Arianne indicate that he is more accepting of the reality that his father was a [[AxCrazy delusional maniac]], that doesn't mean he has to suddenly like or approve of Jaime killing his closest family.

*** Something to remember is that Viserys was Aerys's [[ParentalFavoritism preferred child]], so he grew up with the "nicer" side of his father. While his conversations with Tyrion and Arianne indicate that he is more accepting of the reality that his father was a [[AxCrazy delusional maniac]], that doesn't mean he has to suddenly like or approve of Jaime killing his closest family.

Now has a character page that needs wiki love.

* WarIsHell: A belief that the most noble members of both sides share. While Robert is practically begging for an excuse to go to war, others like Rhaenys, Jaime, Eddard, and Jon (Arryn) don't want another war, knowing the death and destruction it will cause. Jaime and Rhaenys are also more than aware that with the state the Realm is in, it won't survive another war.

* DeadpanSnarker: Joanna. Tyrion has certainly rubbed off on her.

* LeeroyJenkins: Robert has this mindset. He intended to march to Dorne as soon as his armies were ready and was only talked down when Jon Arryn pointed out that if the Targaryens couldn't conquer it when they had dragons, then Robert would have even worse chances of success.

* RevengeByProxy: Defied by Jaime when Arya is captured right after Joanna's [[spoiler:supposed]] death. Killing Eddard Stark's - whom he accuses of the deed - innocent daughter would certainly be revenge, but it wouldn't be ''justice''.

* IOweYouMyLife: Or rather, My ''niece'''s Life. Even when he still despised him for being a Lannister, Oberyn Martell was grateful to Jaime for saving Rhaenys.

[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9322845/1/A-Lion-s-duty A Lion's Duty]] is a fanfic written by [[https://www.fanfiction.net/u/2767381/Sereven Sereven]] and set in the world of Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire. It explores the possibility of Jaime being able to save one of the Targaryen children from death, in this case Rhaenys, and becomes her most trusted protector. His action has effected the future of Westeros greatly, but he nonetheless stands proudly as a Lion of Dorne. It hasn't been updated since late 2014 however. WordOfGod confirms that the story will eventually continue, but it is currently undergoing mass edits.

** Daenarys can never bring herself to trust Tyrion or Jaime because of what Jaime did to her father and what House Lannister did to her family. Viserys also has this problem since Jaime killed his father, though he is at least willing to work with him to achieve his ends.

** Downplayed and Subverted with Rhaegar. While Jaime acknowledges that Rhaegar's actions beret him of honor, he ultimately still sees him as the ideal prince that should have been.

** Jaime's son, Arthur, is named after Arthur Dayne.

* JerkassHasAPoint: Even though Joffrey was acting out of rage when he had a noble thrown into the dungeon for insulting him, he was right about the noble's accusations toward a peasant that "attacked" being unfounded. Despite the noble stating that his servants saw the attack, Joffrey is right in saying that he needs unbiased sources of evidence to be absolutely sure.

** When Allyria affably greets her as her goodsister, not only Cersei refuses the compliment, she bluntly tells Allyria her "Dornish bastards" will never inherit the Westerlands.

* CivilWar: Instead of The War Of The Five Kings, we have a war between the North and South. Those under the Targaryen Banner in the South(Martell, Tyrell, etc.), and those under the Baratheon Banner in the North(Stark, Tully, etc.).

* LeeroyJenkins: Robert has this mindset. He intended to march to Dorne as soon as his armies were ready and was only talked down when Jon Arryn pointed out that if the Targaryens couldn't conquer it when they had dragons, the Robert would have even worse chances of success.

* AdaptationalVillainy: Thanks to more Targaryens being alive, Robert is far more unhinged than he ever was in the book or the show. He eventually [[spoiler:[[MoralEventHorizon goes over the deep end and has his men set fire to a Targaryen camp, killing solider and innocent alike while the couldn't fight back]]]].

* DeadGuyJunior: Joanna is named after her grandmother. Tywin notes that, aside from the Dayne eyes, she's the spitting image of his late wife in almost every way.

* ForWantOfANail: Jaime running off with Rhaenys to Dorne sets off a lot of dominos.

** Jon being brought South with his father and siblings to enjoy some freedoms puts a hold on his desire to join the Nights Watch, at least for the moment.

* IOweYouMyLife: Or rather, My ''Niece'''s Life. Even when he still despised him for being a Lannister, Oberyn Martell was grateful to Jaime for saving Rhaenys.

* PassedOverInheritance: Since Jaime's status is slightly complicated - not only he broke his oath, he never was supposed to reclaim his birthright - Tywin picked his eldest son Arthur to become lord of the Westerlands after him.

* RevengeByProxy: Defied by Jaime when Arya is captured right after Joanna's [[spoiler: supposed]] death. Killing Eddard Stark's - whom he accuses of the deed - innocent daughter would certainly be revenge, but it wouldn't be ''justice''.

* AdaptationalVillainy: Thanks to more Targaryens being alive, Robert is far more unhinged than he ever was in the book or the show. He eventually [[spoiler:[[MoralEventHorizon goes over the deep end and has his men set fire to a Targaryen camp, killing solider and innocent alike while the couldn't fight back[[invoked]]]]]].

* AdaptationalVillainy: Thanks to more Targaryens being alive, Robert is far more unhinged than he ever was in the book or the show. He eventually [[spoiler:[[MoralEventHorizon goes over the deep end and has his men set fire to a Targaryen camp, killing solider and innocent alike while the couldn't fight back]][[invoked]]]].