Prologue 2 – The Tourney at Harrenhal
281 AC
Eddard II
Over the past 3 years, Eddard had exchanged countless letters with Ashara Dayne, there was almost always at least one raven in flight between the Eyrie and Starfall at any time. His correspondence with the Dornish Lady had dropped somewhat in 280 when Ashara had moved to King's Landing to act as a lady-in-waiting to Princess Elia Martell. While she never openly spoke out, Ned got the feeling she was not enjoying her time in the capital, though he chose not to mention this in his letters, as more than once he had inspected the seal of her letters to find it had been tampered with.
For the first few moons, Robert had paraded dozens of women in front of Ned, from his favourite serving girls to the daughters of major Vale houses, seemingly delighted in his apparently newfound interest in women. Fortunately, for both Ned and the girls, Robert eventually realised that the Stark lord had not, in fact, been tempted by the wonders of flesh, and had merely found a pen pal of the opposing sex. Though, of course, this did not stop Robert from needling him about his 'Dornish Lady love' whenever he spotted need heading to the Maester's rooms.
However, in spite of his vehement denials to Robert about his interest in Ashara, Ned one day discovered that he had indeed fallen for her. She had a dry wit about her, more than capable of utterly outpacing him in a battle of words. Ned had never been interested in the dainty Southron Ladies that Robert sometimes chased, whose only desire in life was to stitch clothes their husband's clothes and bear their husband's children. If Ned were to marry, he thought he would marry a Northern Lady, someone who could be his equal, even if they did not carry a sword, though, thinking of Maege Mormont, maces were a possibility.
Despite being of the south, however, Ashara was every bit as wilful and competent as a Northern lady. Ned supposed it had something to do with the Andals, the North and Dorne were the only Kingdoms of the First Men to beat back the Essosi invaders, and the greatest foreign influence on Dorne had been the Rhoynar, led by the warrior Princess Nymeria.
Having thus confronted his feelings, Ned sent, in his next letter, what he hoped was a subtle and effective attempt at courting. He failed. Ned knew this because Ashara had sent an immediate reply asking if he was perusing her. Tentatively hoping that Ned had not utterly ruined his chances with the one woman he corresponded with that wasn't his sister, Ned had written back saying; yes, he would be honoured if Ashara were to enter into a courtship with him.
Thankfully, Ashara had replied that she would, and thus the two began a more intimate communication, the first evidence of which was that Ned was now honoured enough to be allowed to call her 'Ash', the nickname that previously only her brother was entitled to.
Soon, though, Ned would finally be able to see Ash in person again. The Whents of Harrenhal had called a massive tourney, to which they had invited most of the realm. Ash would be joining Princess Elia and her husband to represent the crown, while Ned would join Robert, now Lord Robert Baratheon of Storm's End, his parents had died not long after the last Tourney in a shipwreck, within sight of the walls of the castle.
Not only would Ned be seeing Ash again, but also the rest of his family. His brothers, Brandon and Benjen, and his sister, Lyanna, would be travelling down from Winterfell. He could not wait to see all of them, Brandon would now be 19, a man grown and, as Ned had heard in letters from Lya, betrothed. The woman in question was one Catelyn Tully, eldest daughter of the Riverlands Lord Paramount. Ben, ever with a talent for words, had described in glorious detail the varied facial expressions of the eldest Stark son as he was informed that soon he would be forced to spend the rest of his days confined to a single bed. Though Ned's reply had called it an impossible task, he had eventually received a response stating that, despite everyone's expectations, Bran had thus far kept to a monogamous lifestyle since the news was received. Ned had simply asked Ben to inform him when the Other's came to Winterfell.
Ben, his youngest brother, would now be 14. The last time Ned had seen him he was only just able to string his words together properly, but now Ben was on the cusp of manhood, and if his letters were anything to go by, quite intelligent. Lyanna had written to him a few months back with a letter steeped in laughter about how Bran had finally managed to get Ben blackout drunk, gleefully writing that Ben got almost as boisterous as his eldest brother when deep in his cusp. Bran, it had already been determined, was a happy drunk, and thus was usually careful to monitor his consumption of drink, as to not spoil his image of the masculine Northern.
But it was Lyanna he missed most of all, she was now 15, a woman grown; a Lady, though Ned knew better than to tell her that to her face. Lya disdained everything that was supposed to make a Lady of a great house, she preferred breaches, riding and the bow to skirts, sewing and the harp, and Ned was sure that if she was able to get her hands on a sword, she would be just as confident with that as well.
He had shown some of Lya's letters to Robert, as well as forwarding a few to Ash. Ash had responded with compliments to his sister and requested that he teach her about southern etiquette, so that they may write. Having been reluctantly tutored in the intrigues of court during his correspondence with Ashara, Ned had correctly interpreted the true meaning of Ash's final remark – write and tell Lyanna what not to put in letters addressed to King's Landing.
Robert also responded positively to Lyanna, praising her spirit and beauty, and begging of the opportunity to write to her as well. His sister had loved Ashara from the moment her first letter arrived in the rookery at Winterfell and had dropped Ned several unsubtle hints that the Dornish Lady would make an excellent good-sister. Robert, on the other hand, was received much more cautiously, it appeared that as his interest in Lyanna grew, the she-wolf's waned. She had responded to Robert's courting attempts with polite courtesy, though those had come from Ash, Lya not knowing the first thing about courtesy, which Ned's poor foster brother seemed to take as interest.
Thus encouraged, Robert had pulled Ned aside a few weeks before they were due to depart for the tourney, and asked Ned if he would like to depart early, and meet up with his siblings, rather than join Robert and Jon's party. At first, he was slightly hurt and insulted by the fact that his friend did not seem to want to spend time with him, but all was soon cleared up when Robert passed him a letter, saying "for your father". Robert, it appeared, wanted Ned to present Robert's suit for Lyanna's hand in person.
Ned had mixed feelings about this, for one, it would bring Ned and Robert closer to being true brothers, practically as close as was possible, but he was also unsure of the prospect of Robert as a husband. Ash had said as much when he had broached the subject with her in a letter, Robert is a good friend, I am sure, she had written, but will he be a good husband? Ned was not sure. Robert was much like Brandon, and his brother had cleaned up his activities quickly when marriage was announced, but then again, the wailing bundle with black hair and piercing blue eyes nestled in the Castle of Moon was a step further than Brandon had ever gone.
Still, Ned had a long time yet to think about it before he had to make up his mind, the journey on the road to meet his siblings would take a while yet. From what Lya had written, she had neglected to mention the level of his relationship with Ash to Bran and Ben, leaving that task to him. He was grateful, Winterfell might have run out of ravens if Brandon had gotten wind that Ned was attempting to court a Lady, and he had no interest in reading through lectures about how to capture a woman's heart, he was doing just fine on his own.
Thus, a few days later, Ned found himself enjoying the hospitality of the Reeds of Greywater Watch, having taken a ship from Heart's Home to take him to where the Kingsroad entered the North. He found the Lord of the Neck, one Howland Reed, to be great company, both men of few words, the enjoyed many a companionable silence together while Ned waited for his family to arrive. On the occasions where they did speak, Howland regaled him with tales of wargs and greenseers, though Ned was uncertain if there was any truth to them or not.
Greywater Watch was a fascinating castle. Unlike other castles Ned had visited, like Winterfell or the Eyrie, the seat of house Reed had no fixed position, it floated around the bogs of the neck on its crannog, a manmade island held together by the roots of a weirwood tree. The castle itself was made not of stone, but of wood and moss, and if Ned had not known it was there, the walls would have blended into the surroundings. Howland had also made Ned remove his boots, the men of the Neck walked barefoot, to avoid tearing up the floors, and the feeling of thick moss between his toes was a... unique feeling.
Surrounding the keep was a city, or at least, what the Crannogmen called a city. The Grey Dun, as it was called, was not so much a city as a meeting point, anchored to Greywater, anything from small huts to many roomed households would float up and moor themselves together with thick, vine ropes and wooden staves. The entire platform was engaged in a constant, mesmerising dance, as crannogs from the centre cast off and floated out, with other crannogs moving in to fill the gaps they left. Many days, Ned sat watching it for hours.
Ned wasn't too sure when his family would arrive, though. There was no master here, or, for that matter, anywhere in the Neck. The Crannogmen had no need for the 'wisdom' of the Citadel, ravens were unable to navigate through the haze of the bog, and it didn't help that none of the castle's stayed in the same place for longer than a day. The diminutive Northmen also had their own medicines and remedies, when Ned injured himself training, he was given a thick green paste to dull the pain, as opposed to milk of the poppy, collected from the swamps.
Altogether, Ned's stay in the Neck had been enjoyable, he was quickly finding that he could count Howland Reed as a friend, and the swamps were a peaceful place, like the Eyrie, though with a greater feeling of life. Until, that is, the quite was abruptly shattered by the arrival of one Brandon Stark.
"Ned!", the cry cut the Stark lordling from his thoughts, as he quickly looked up to locate the source of the shout, "Seven hells, look at you! When I last saw you, I could pick you up with one arm, now you must have ladies swooning over you wherever you walk!"
Attempting to ignore the slight reddening of his cheeks at his elder brother's comment, Ned rose to greet his family as they crossed nimbly onto the Greywater crannog, well, mostly nimbly, Benjen would have fallen had Lyanna and a Reed man not grabbed his arms. Luckily for the youngest Stark child, Brandon didn't notice, and quickly stepped forward to sweep Ned into a crushing hug, which his brother returned.
"Careful Brandon," Lyanna's voice reached Ned, "I'd rather you didn't crush Ned to death before me and Ben get a chance to greet him," Brandon responded by grinning into Ned's shoulder, wait, shoulder? Since when did Bran's head reach my shoulder? and stepping back, allowing Ned to get his first good luck at his Brother. As he remembered, Bran's grey eyes were practically glistening, always alive and playful, his deep brown hair was wild and untamed, and now joined by and equally scruffy beard, though this did nothing to detract from his looks, which when combined with his handsome face, created the kind of aura that turned the heads of every lady in the vicinity. He had grown since Ned had last seen him as well, his shoulders had grown broader, and his muscles thicker, though he realised, Bran now stood almost a head shorter than Ned.
"Wow, you're not the tallest anymore Bran!" Ben said, quick to point out the newfound deficiency in their brother's figure. Bran, for his part, simply blinked and gaped, as Lyanna laughed at him.
"I don't believe it," he said, still gaping, "when did this happen?" Ned shrugged, truth be told, he had never in his wildest dreams imagined that he would be taller than Bran, his brother was just... Bran, and Bran was always one step ahead of Ned.
"You can't win everything Bran, so don't go sulking now, though I'm sure Catelyn will be there to make you feel better." Their sister teased, saying Brandon's betrothed's name in a singsong voice, before throwing herself into Ned's arms, and burying her head in his chest. "I've missed you, big brother, Winterfell was never the same without you."
"And the Eyrie felt empty without you, little sister," Ned responded. Lyanna too had changed from the young girl she had been when he had seen her last, she had since grown into her looks, no longer could Ned mistake her for a boy, she now held a type of wild, Northern beauty. Her brown hair, slightly lighter than Bran's, flowed in curling waves, framing her face, and reaching halfway down her back, though it no longer held perfect quality after a long trek through the Neck, like Brandon, the unkemptness only added to her beauty. Her eyes were large and seemingly innocent, though one need only look into their grey depths to find the same mischievous glint as her eldest brother. Lyanna was slim of frame, slimmer even than Ned, who had little bulk to him compared to some, which was made obvious due to the breeches she wore, having no doubt shed her dresses the moment she left Winterfell and the Southron influence of Master Walys.
Lyanna was quickly joined in the hug by Benjen. Somewhat of a cross between his older siblings, still shorter than both of them, he was louder than Ned, though less confident than Bran, with almost freakishly long legs, he was about equal to Ned in terms of thickness. His blue-grey eyes held laughter and earnestness, without the mischief of Ned's other siblings, and his hair was long and brown, currently tied back to keep it out of his eyes. He was, Ned noticed, trying to grow a beard, though at the moment, he had not manged much more than sideburns and a few wisps of hair on his chin. No doubt this escapade was providing Bran with infinite enjoyment.
Eventually, the three separated, bring Bran back into the conversation, as they stood, each of them recognising the differences in each other since they last met. It was Lyanna who eventually broke the silence.
"Sooooo, Ned," she began, drawing her words out in a way that made Ned narrow his eyes, and worry about what his sister was about to say, "heard anything from Ash recently?" Ned unleashed what Robert called 'The Glare' upon the Stark girl, willing the Gods, old and new, to force her to take her words back. Unfortunately, Lyanna only grinned at him.
"Ash?" Brandon asked, "Who's Ash?" Ned turned his gaze to Brandon, opening his mouth to deflect the eldest Stark's attention to something else, but Lyanna beat him to it.
"Only Ned's Lady friend." Bran's eyes went as wide as saucers, and Ned returned his glare to Lyanna, at full force.
"Lady friend!" Bran sputtered for a moment, shocked at the fact that someone had associated his quite younger brother with a woman. "You're not pulling my leg here, right Lyanna? Ned actually has a woman?"
"I do not 'have' a woman," Ned responded curtly, both annoyed at Lyanna forcing him into this conversation so soon and offended on Ashara's behalf. "Ash is her own person."
"So, she does exist! Wow, our little Ned has truly grown up! What's she like?" Brandon waggled his eyebrows to emphasise the last question.
"Yeah, Ned, what is Ash like?" Lyanna prodded as well.
"You know what she is like Lya, you have..." Ned trailed off as he realised what Bran and Lya were actually asking, "oh. No, I don't... I haven't... Not like that!" he sputtered out as Lyanna began to laugh at him, but, to his surprise, Bran didn't join her. Rather, he gave Ned an approving smile and clapped him on the shoulder.
"Good," Ned blinked, that was a very un-Bran like sentiment, "you can't build a relationship with just sex, and I should know, I've had lots of it." Okay, that was more like Bran, but still, he had expected disappointed teasing about his sex life, or rather lack, therefore, as opposed to a compliment on his honour. Seeing his brother's confused look, Brandon elaborated. "I know you, Ned, you wouldn't just jump into bed with some woman because she's pretty," Bran frowned slightly, "this Ash is pretty, right?" Ned nodded warily. "Right, if she's exchanging ravens with Lya you're serious about this, probably courting her?" Again, Ned nodded, "Well then, I hope to soon meet my future good sister."
Ned smiled at his brother, it seemed that the years had matured him somewhat, tempered the wolf's blood. "I think Ash would like that too," he replied, "I have told her much about you."
"Good, just..." Bran trailed off slightly, before resuming, looking Ned in the eye, with looking sadder and much more serious, "your Ash is highborn, yes? You may get more freedom as a second son, but father seems intent on using us all as bargaining chips to gain links to the south, he won't let you marry a serving girl from the Vale, no matter your heart."
Ash is highborn," Ned replied, it saddened him to hear that his father was growing colder still, he had never been the same since their mother had died birthing Benjen. "She is sister to the Lord of Starfall." Bran nodded and smiled again, before he froze suddenly, eyes widening in shock for the second time in ten minutes.
"Wait, Lord of Starfall, Dayne, your Ash is Ashara Dayne!" he exclaimed.
Enjoying Brandon's shock at discovering just who 'Ash' was, Ned responded, "Aye, we met at Strom's End."
"Is she as pretty as they say?" Ned's eyes took on a faraway look as he recalled Ashara's face when they said goodbye outside the walls of Robert's ancestral seat.
"Aye," he said at last, "prettier." He continued to stare, slightly lovestruck, for a few more moments, before he shook his head and returned to reality. "I intent to ask father if I can present my suite at Harrenhal."
"It's taken you long enough Ned," Lyanna beamed at him, "I can't wait to finally meet my new sister in person." Ned began to smile back, but then his mind connected Lya and marriage, and his lips dropped.
"I..." he began, "Robert gave me a letter to give to father, he is asking for your hand." Lyanna's smile dropped as well.
"Oh." she managed.
"It's okay," Ned tried to reassure her, "father might not say yes."
"He will," Lyanna assured him,
"You don't kno-"
"He will, or at least he will the moment he speaks to that chained rat, Walys. He's always going on about how I need to be tamed and taught how to be a proper Lady, packing me off to a Baratheon will just be an added bonus to getting me out of the castle."
"The new Maester is truly that bad?"
"He's awful," Ben chimed into the discussion, "he keeps complaining about how dull Winterfell is, says father should spend some gold on decorations."
"Idiot," Brandon said, "he's trying to turn us all into Southron ponces, thankfully father hasn't listened to him on that front, we need that gold for when winter comes."
"He's not far off," Lyanna complained, "he's already banned me from wearing breeches, and practising archery. Say's its 'unbecoming of a lady,'" Ned stared, their father had always indulged Lya, letting her get away with far more than Brandon ever did, likely due to her resemblance to mother. If he was pressuring Lya like this... what had happened to the father Ned remembered?
"Where is father now?" Ned asked, surely his siblings were exaggerating, and speaking with Rickard himself would clear things up.
"He went off to Lord Reed," Ben responded, that stung slightly, that his father's first thoughts had been of his bannerman, and not his son. "He's not staying with us on the road, he'll be taking a ship to the twins, and then onto Riverrun to speak to Lord Tully."
"Grandfather Rodrik is the Stark in Winterfell at the moment and hating every moment of it."
"I should speak to him then, before he leaves," Ned said, and took off towards the keep, and towards his father.
"Good luck Ned!" Lya called after him.
Ned found his father in what passed for Lord Howland's solar, a cosy room designed for the diminutive Crannogmen, not the massive and imposing form of Rickard Stark. Ned's sire carried all the traditional Stark looks, a thick head of dark brown hair on both his head and face, with the same grey eye's as Ned and his siblings, but while the children's eyes were filled with laughter or mischief, Rickard's were hard and cold. Ned could remember a time when his father's eyes danced when the coldness was part of a mask; the mask of the Lord of Winterfell, but since his mother had died, Rickard had taken the mask off less and less. Now Ned wasn't sure if there was any difference between the man and the facade.
"Father," Ned said, bowing his head, "Lord Reed," Howland acknowledged Ned with a nod and a smile.
"Eddard," his father responded, his voice was deep, much deeper even than Brandon's, "have you enjoyed the Vale?"
"Yes father, Lord Arryn has been a gracious host."
"Good," Rickard replied, and furrowed his brows as if thinking hard, "and Lord Baratheon? Are you close." he questioned.
"We are..." Ned trailed off, were they friends? They certainly spent a lot of time together, but how much of that was because Robert enjoyed Ned's company, and how much was because Ned was the only other boy of Robert's age he didn't know, "friends," he decided at last. His father nodded, but remained silent, clearly thinking about something. Unable to bear the silence much longer, Ned withdrew Robert's letter.
"Lord Robert bade me to hand you this father," Rickard took the letter, swiftly opening the stag bearing seal, and read quickly.
"He wants to marry Lyanna." It was a statement, but Ned nodded all the same. "It would be a good match."
Rickard said nothing further, and Ned resisted the urge to fidget.
"Lyanna does not like him much," Ned said eventually, once again hoping to break the wall between father and son.
"That is a minor issue," his father said, as if he was talking about the summer snows and not his daughter's happiness, "Baratheon will attend the tourney, yes?" Ned nodded again, "Good, tell him I accept, you can introduce Lyanna to him then." Ned gaped slightly before he quickly shut his mouth. He hadn't expected father to agree so readily, Lyanna would be horrified. Ned quickly scrambled to try and salvage the situation.
"Surely this is rather fast, father, they have not even met yet!" Rickard narrowed his eyes at his son, and for a moment Ned was sure his father would remind him that he was the Lord of Winterfell.
"What would you suggest then?" Ned blinked, and quickly trawled his brain for an answer, drawing upon every lesson of politics Ash had made him sit through in her letters, before deciding on a response.
"Let them get to know each other at Harrenhal, if Lya- Robert," Ned quickly corrected himself, seeing now that Robert's opinion mattered more to his father than Lya's, "still wishes the match then you can announce it at Bran's wedding."
"Hmmm," Rickard mulled this idea over, "you have a much better head for politics than your brother, I'm sure Maester Walys would love to talk to you," Ned tried not to shudder at the idea of being left alone with someone whom Lya called a rat, "very well, introduce the two at the tourney, if Baratheon likes her, we will announce it at Riverrun." Rickard glanced away for a moment, before looking back at Ned. "Was there anything else?"
Ned swallowed the bundle of nerves that was threatening to rise up, and spoke, hoping his voice wouldn't waver.
"I have been talking with the Lady Ashara Dayne, may I have your permission to ask for her hand?" His father pondered his for a moment.
"Dayne, hmm, her brother is close to the Prince... Yes, I give you permission. Is that all?"
"Yes father," Ned said bowing. Rickard was already turning back to continue his conversation with Howland. Talking to his father was over, now he had to survive to tourney, and asking Ashara to marry him. Oh, and her brother's reaction. He hoped Arthur would approve because being the Sword of the Morning and a Knight of the Kingsguard, there was very little Ned could do if he didn't.
Sorry about the formatting issues, I really have no idea what happened when I pasted this from word. I'll try and get Chapter 3 fixed tonight as well.
