All We Are, We Are Not
is a A Song of Ice and Fire Alternate Universe Fic by Anon_Mouse 13.
During the wedding of Prince Rhaegar and Elia Martell, Catelyn Tully catches the eye of the Mad King.
Tropes featured in the fanfic:
- Adaptation Name Change: In the end, Daenerys is officially renamed Dany Stormborn to remove all memory of the Targaryen name.
- Adaptational Angst Upgrade: In canon, the worst that happened to Cat before the main timeline was that she lost her first fiancé Brandon. Here, she is made Aerys's unwilling mistress and is repeatedly raped by him for several years. She is forced to watch Rickard and Brandon Stark burn to death. Then, barely after she is reunited with her family in Riverrun, she sees her dear friend die in childbirth, her children are nearly executed, and she sees her childhood friend betray her.
- Adaptational Karma: Baelish's duplicity is exposed a lot earlier than in canon (granted, since the plot unfolds early in the timeline, he hasn't become the master manipulator he is in canon) when he tries to surrender Aerys's children to Robert.
- Adaptational Relationship Overhaul:
- Due to their shared trauma as Aerys's victims, Cat and Rhaella become friends, while there is no indication of that in canon.
- In addition to her two kids by Aerys, Cat also becomes a Parental Substitute for Dany after Rhaella's death. As a result, she is a lot more accepting of Jon. Moreover, Ned takes her into confidence about Jon's real parentage, since he sees she is in the same situation as himself, having promised to raise and protect a Targaryen baby.
- Asshole Victim: Brandon has zero sympathy for Cat when she tries to comfort him while he is in captivity, Slut-Shaming her and accusing her of being on the Mad King's side. However, it doesn't make his death any less horrific.
- In Spite of a Nail:
- Rhaella Targaryen still dies in childbirth, and Dany still gets the name of Stormborn, albeit it happens in completely different circumstances.
- Cat and Ned still get married, even though Ned is initially betrothed to Lysa while Cat's still away.
- Remarrying for Your Kids: In a variation. Robert only agrees to spare Aerys's children when Ned promises to raise them as his wards. Catelyn absolutely refuses to part from her kids, so Robert arranges her marriage to Ned.
- Revenge by Proxy: Robert would have killed Aerion, Visenya, and Daenerys for the sheer fact of their Targaryen lineage. He is only pacified when they are renamed and Ned agrees to raise them north of the Neck.
- Slut-Shaming: Cat has to endure a lot of it even after Aerys's death, with many taunting her over the fact that Aerys slept with her.
- Would Hurt a Child: Robert is perfectly willing to kill children who are four and two years and a few days old respectively, just because of his hatred for their elder brother (whom he has already killed). Petyr is perfectly willing to go along with Robert's idea.
