In the very first part of A Game of Thrones, the first book of A Song of Ice and Fire, King Robert arranges for Ned to replace Jon Arryn as Hand and arranges a marriage between his son Joffrey and Ned's daughter Sansa, to tie Houses Baratheon and Stark. Ned, Sansa, and Arya then go South. And then things get messy.
Acts of Treason, on the other hand, starts it much the same, except for one thing — what if Robert's daughter Myrcella, nine years old in the canon, were older and betrothed to Ned's son Robb instead? Told over the course of eleven chapters, or acts, the story spans the course of the canon series, with several changes in characters' choices, most of which work out for the better in the long run, and, of course, many a Crack Ship.
The original story
can no longer be found online, although the author is currently working on a rewrite of the story. It can be found here on Archive of Our Own and here on FanFiction.Net.
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This fan fiction provides examples of:
Both Versions
- Age Lift: Myrcella in both stories is older than Joffrey, making her eligible to marry Robb Stark.
- Arranged Marriage: In ASOIAF tradition. The big one in both stories being Myrcella Baratheon and Robb Stark.
- Cool Big Sis: Myrcella to Tommen; it's stated that she was also this to Joffrey, before he evolved into such a Spoiled Brat that is.
- Official Couple: Robb/Myrcella in both stories. Others apply depending on the version.
Original Story
- Abusive Parents: Both Robert and Cersei physically abuse Myrcella at some point.
- Adaptational Heroism: Renly Baratheon and House Tyrell are all depicted more positively than in the books.
- A Day In The Lime Light: Myrcella goes from being a very minor plot device in the canon to being the star character in this fic.
- A Death in the Limelight: Several characters got a POV section just when they were about to die.
- Anyone Can Die: This fic racks up an impressive body count by the end.
- Arranged Marriage: Robb and Myrcella. They're pretty pleased about it. There are others as well including Catelyn/Yohn Royce, Margaery/Renly, Margaery/Quentyn, Shireen/Trystan, and Edric/Arya.
- Babies Ever After: For Robb/Myrcella and Sansa/Willas. The reproductive actives of other pairs are also detailed in the epilogue-esque Act XI.
- Beauty Is Never Tarnished: Averted with Myrcella, who receives a scar that marrs her once highly touted beauty.
- Beta Couple: Loads. Arya/Edric, Sansa/Willas, Aegon/Dany, Renly/Loras, Theon/Alys, Shireen/Devan, and others.
- Chastity Dagger: Jaime gives one to Myrcella for her birthday. She ends up needing to use it.
- Cool Uncle: Renly and Tyrion to Myrcella. Jaime, to a lesser extent. Stannis, not so much.
- Dead Guy Junior: Lots of them, which is reasonable considering how high a body count there is in this fic.
- Driven to Suicide: Sansa. Though she is unsuccessful. It's a double-whammy of horrors, since it directly involves a sibling's suicidal distress because both her nephew and her only son were brutally killed in front of her.
- Domestic Abuse: Like in canon, Robert abuses Cersei.
- Fallen Princess: Myrcella. She starts out as almost everyone's favorite golden princess. Then she runs away, gets brutally disfigured, and marries into a country of people who don't particularly like her.
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Fandom-Specific Plot: Like most Robb/Myrcella fics, the pair of them are betrothed to each other instead of Joffrey and Sansa. - Fish out of Water: Myrcella is more used to the flashy, scheming south than the vastly different north.
- Good Is Not Dumb: Myrcella is kind and caring, but vastly knowledgeable in politics and scheming.
- I Want Grandkids: The reason Ned gives for sacrificing himself for Myrcella.
- In Spite of a Nail: Despite Myrcella inviting Bran along on the day he would have caught Cersei and Jaime together, he nonetheless ends up crippled by the end of the story. Also, Myrcella gets her facial wound despite never being sent to the Martells.
- In the Blood: The Targaryen madness rears its head as bloodlust in both Daenerys and Aegon, although the latter has it to a lesser degree and is self-aware enough to recognize it. It's implied that the next generation manages to avoid it.
- Incest Subtext: Joffrey's interest in getting Myrcella back is suggested to possibly be incestuous.
- Last-Minute Hookup: Jon "steals" Val on pretty near the last page of the story, epilogue excluded. They're implied to have been eyeing each other offscreen for a while.
- Last Stand: Ned and his retainers do this to protect the rest of the entourage as they flee north.
- Like Father, Like Son: Both Ned and Robb went to war as young men in rebellion against the crown. There are also similarities noted between Myrcella and Cersei.
- The Matchmaker: Myrcella. She likes to pair the other characters together for political gain and for their happiness.
- Opposites Attract: Robb is honorable, trusting, and action oriented while Myrcella is politically savvy and very capable of manipulation.
- Parental Favoritism: Joffrey is Cersei's favorite.
- Politically-Active Princess: Myrcella. Not at all the pawn she is in canon, this princess knows the players and does what she can to move the pieces. Justified since Canon-Myrcella is a little girl.
- Princesses Prefer Pink: Robert likes to give Myrcella pink things.
- Sacrificial Lion: Arya. Her entire role in the story is a love interest for Edric Dayne killed to further his development.
- Screaming Birth: Myrcella's first birth is very difficult and implicitly leaves her with some sort of PTSD, since she has nightmares about dying in another birth.
- Senseless Sacrifice: Tyrion and Mace die in vain protecting Rickard and Edwyn from Joffrey.
- Shipper on Deck: Myrcella actively ships multiple different couples in the story, pushing them together for their personal happiness as well as the overall political advantage.
- Shout-Out: Bran and Tommen give Myrcella a kitten, which she names Boots.
- Token Good Teammate: Tyrion, for the Lannisters; unlike in canon, he remains loyal to them until he is cut down by Joffrey as he tries to protect Sansa, her son, and his own nephew.
- What If?: The entire premise of the story is based on "What if Myrcella was older and betrothed to Robb?"
- Would Hurt a Child: Joffrey kills two young children and Robert Arryn is murdered by his people, as well.
- Your Princess Is in Another Castle!: Once the villainous Joffrey dies and justice is brought to the the Seven Kingdoms, the story should be through, right? Nope. Now there's a new problem to deal with in Act X.
Rewritten Story
- Age Lift: Besides the change to Myrcella, the timeframe seems to have been advanced by 2-3 years from the original novels so as to make the younger characters more involved in the story. This has made the younger generation somewhat different than from canon, accounting for their additional maturity in the intervening years. The result is off-screen, yet organic, Character Development: Rickon is no longer a toddler and is so involved more with his siblings; Sansa and Arya are not as antagonistic; Arya and Jon have grown distant since the former understands her mother more, while the latter is still uncomfortable around Lady Catelyn; and many others.
- Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: Lysa becomes this to her son once they are reunited.
- Arranged Marriage: In this story, turns out that Sansa's betrothed to Smalljon Umber, an arrangement she's not unhappy with.
- Ascended Extra: Compared to the original story in which he only appears in one chapter wherein the story Dropped a Bridge on Him, Robert Arryn becomes a POV character and is more mature due to being fostered at Casterly Rock.
- For Want Of A Nail: This version seems to present a timeline where Robert Arryn was fostered at Casterly Rock for several years before his father died. It's unclear how much of the differences in the plot are a result of Myrcella's Age Lift - for the moment, at least.
- Odd Friendship: Robert Arryn and Joy Hill - the former is a newly-ascended Lord Paramount, the other a bastard from another Great House, and the two are best friends. There is some Ship Tease hinted, but is unconfirmed as yet.
- Older and Wiser: The younger cast are largely depicted as their show ages (in a story based on the novels), with their characterisation even more consistent with the changes this brings. Given it is an Alternate Universe and the existence of many other variables, this is justified however.
