Title: The Footsteps of Survivors
Author: ASOIAFside (an ao3 pseud of this author's more prolific name UMsArchive )
Rating: M
Genre: Adventure/AU
Status: In-Progress
Fandom: ASOIAF/Game of Thrones
Pairings: Rhaegar/Lyanna, Jon/Daenerys, others
Summary:
Rhaegar and Lyanna survive to face the consequences of their short marriage. She knows nothing of him living and he knows little of her life. Continents apart, they play their own game of survival. Until the game brings them together.
OR After Rhaegar falls, Lyanna marries Robert and passes Jon for his son. Jon gets to have his mother and Daenerys gets to have a good brother to properly care for her. The rest is more complicated.

Link - https://archiveofourown.org/works/19186177

Post 2 (out of 4 I think?) of my attempt to expand the DLP ASOIAF library.

Now I will admit that it has been a while since I read this, but it stands as one of my personal favorites in the fandom, and is truly something very special and unique.

This is a fic written in an AU where a lot of things are different, mainly that Lyanna poses Jon as Robert's son and stays at KL for survival's sake, and Rhaegar (narrowly) survives the Trident.

I won't spoil what exactly happens in the plot, but I would like to think of it as essentially a bunch of character studies that take place during a very dynamic plot. There are no lulls here, and you REALLY get into it after a few chapters. I read this thing staying up till 4 one night.

One thing I would like to highlight is the prose. It's very descriptive and emotive characterization's of the main characters make you really feel their struggles in a very real way. It's a feeling that's hard to describe, but incredibly gratifying. The author makes use of ao3's features with some art motif's that add a little to the story too.

The writing here really paints a very moody picture that is very easy to get behind. It has an almost surreal quality to it, with long passages dedicated to streams of consciousness, and musings on current events. There are numerous points in this story that will make you want to jump because you're so happy they're happening. Despite most of it being fairly depressing and sombre, this is a read which will keep you on your toes. A last thing to point out is the worldbuilding, with the author giving a very different and uncliched description of a lot of that settings. The author doesn't waste too long on cannon established plot devices with the exception of

Spoiler: Big spoiler

Jon going to the wall

but even that is redeemed by what ends up happening there, which can be it's own 20k short story that would be a 5/5.

My only real gripe with this fic is where it seems to be headed in the recent chapters. I wish the fic stayed in it's hyper emotive state but alas imo, the plot becomes kinda generic and uninteresting once

Spoiler

Jon reunites with Lyanna

. It goes from ultra moody to an annoying kind of giddy. Maybe that's just because I like darker fics more, but still idk I just don't like where it's headed now. There is still hope, the fic is far from complete but the author has made it fairly clear where it's going.

I do feel that this story's stellar first and second act more than make up for the recent direction though, and make it a very enjoyable read. Each POV (with maybe the slight exception of Daenerys's, which comes off as uninteresting compared to the other's at times) is wonderfully written.

I know this isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea. The story takes time to get started, and many may write it off as overdramatic and self indulgent. But I urge you to go into this fic with an open mind, and stick with it for a while, I think you will find it very rewarding.

A very solid 4.5/5, with half a point taken away for still in progress third act.

 

How?

 

read the story, described very early in the story.
the reasoning may sound shoddy at first read but you'll see what happens with it.

 

Robert, who never slept with Lyanna, somehow accepted the lie?
The author just skipped over how in the first chapter:

 

Would it really kill you to open a link and find out yourself? This is fanfiction and the author might alter canon events as they wish. If that turns out good or bad is another question.

"INTENTIONAL TECHNICAL PLOT HOLE: The timeline of the Rebellion is hurried and sketchy in order to make it possible for the ambiguity of Jon's birth to exist. The Stark children are all but Robb older bc of that, too"

 

It's explained deeper into the story, if you're really that curious. From what I remember she faked her miscarriage, she was found in the very early stages of her pregnancy.

If you have any other questions, please just read the whole fic.

 

I did. The question still remains.

 

Shit premise, therefore 0/5, but as I cannot actually give that, it's a 1 star.

 

Shit review therefore ineligible

Can't believe that the premise is really unbelievable, I have read stupid ass Arya fixes it all fics that supposedly 5/5's.

If her passing off Jon as Roberts son is really so unbelievable -

The main divergence is that she leaves the tower very early on in her pregnancy, possibly before she gets to know she's pregnant. She then fakes a misscarriage. Then marries Robert really fast, and very difficult pregnancy (which she doesn't pass away from due to a maestar being present presumably) is seen as so difficult because according to them the baby premature (which is believable considering that maesters don't really have modern day medical knowlege)

I really can't believe the premise is the thing thats the turn off here, I have read so so many reviews that go like this fic is really really great IF you ignore/get with the Harry/Bellatrix or some shit like that.

Besides, if you actually read the fic, the premise isn't even that unbelievable.

 

You have not read me rating them as 5/5. The fact that some other people rate them as such has no impact on this particular fic and review.

It is.

Again, what does that have to do with my review? I have not said or written any such thing.