"Isn't Lya going to come with us?" Ned asked.
Benjen turned to him while the three of them sat on their places, ready to see the jousting.
"She didn't feel well" he answered.
"I will go to see her before dinner" Brandon said, trying calm Ned "I still have to speak with her, anyways"
Benjen looked at him curiously and Ned didn't say anything.
Late on the afternoon of that day a mystery knight appeared in the lists.
The mystery knight was short of stature, and clad in ill-fitting armor made up of bits and pieces. The device upon his shield was a heart tree of the old gods, a white weirwood with a laughing red face.
The mystery knight dipped his lance before the king and rode to the end of the lists, where the five champions had their pavilions.
He challenged the porcupine knight, the pitchfork knight, and the knight of the twin towers.
The porcupine knight fell first, then the pitchfork knight, and lastly the knight of the two towers. None were well loved, so the common folk cheered lustily for the Knight of the Laughing Tree, as the new champion soon was called. When his fallen foes sought to ransom horse and armor, the Knight of the Laughing Tree spoke in a booming voice through his helm.
"Teach your squires honor" he said "that shall be ransom enough."
Elia rose from her seat, tired.
Ashara seemed excited by the perspective of a mystery knight attending the lists.
"Do you think he'll win?" Ashara asked the princess.
"He?" Oberyn interrupted "What makes you think that knight was a man?"
Elia turned to her brother.
"You mean it could be a woman?"
"You didn't see the knight's face, did you?" Oberyn shrugged his shoulders.
Ashara laughed at his words.
"A woman jousting" she smirked "that would be interesting"
It was then when her eyes met Ned's.
"My princess, my lord, excuse me for a moment" she said and made a reverence.
She left them and made her way to the place where the Stark was.
He smiled at her, nervously.
She loved that.
That night at the great castle, Robert Baratheon and Ser Richard Lonmouth each swore they would unmask him, and the King Aerys himself urged men to challenge him, declaring that the face behind that helm was no friend of his.
The next morning, when the heralds blew their trumpets and the King took his seat, only two champions appeared.
The Knight of the Laughing Tree had vanished.
The King Aerys was wroth, and even sent his son Rhaegar to seek the man.
The prince did not understand his father's wrath but he did as he said and searched for the mystery knight.
He saw the knight on the forest, running away from those who were hunting him.
Rhaegar followed him, and cached him.
"Turn around" he said "remove the helmet"
The knight did as he said and, when the helmet fell to the floor, he almost drooped his sword, surprised.
"My lady" he whispered.
Lyanna looked at him, trying not to feel afraid.
"Your grace" she said.
She didn't feel wrong with herself, on the contrary, she was proud of what she'd done. She was proud she had taught those squires a lesson.
They could hear the screams of the other men. They were going to arrive there soon.
"Remove the armor" the prince told her "leave it. Run."
Lyanna did as he said and left the armor hanging on a tree.
"Thank you" she told Rhaegar and he smiled at her.
Lyanna run back to the castle without looking back.
She sat next to Ned and soon after that the tourney started again.
"Are you feeling better today?" her brother asked.
"Yes" she smiled.
Ned embraced her and kissed her cheek.
The Prince of Dragonstone had just defeated Lord Yohn Royce.
Brandon prepared himself to joust against the prince and Lyanna watched Rhaegar carefully.
She was scared.
She had been scared since she had met him in the woods. She was scared that he could say something about The Knight of The Laughing Tree's identity.
But the prince said nothing and did nothing.
Brandon spurred his horse and Lyanna hold her breath.
Rhaegar's lance hit Brandon on the chest and he fell to the floor.
Lyanna rose from her seat, worried, and she felt Benjen rising next to her.
Then Brandon stood up, laughing, and smiled at her.
His eyes told her not to worry.
When Brandon went to change himself, Lyanna and Benjen sat back.
The next one to march against the prince was Ser Arthur Dayne.
The Lord of Flowers bet 100 galleons for Ser Arthur Dayne and, to the surprise of many, it was the Lady Ashara Dayne, Ser Arthur's sister, who accepted the bet.
It was Ashara who won the bet, and Rhaegar Targaryen won once more.
Ser Barristan Selmy, with his white armor shining brightly, rode his horse to his position.
There were a lot of bets this time, most of them in favour of Ser Barristan.
The prince was going to lose, Lyanna thought, there was no way he could won.
But he did win and took the Cown of Winter Roses to crown his queen.
Ned would never forget the moment when all the smiles died.
When Prince Rhaegar Targaryen urged his horse past his own wife, the Dornish princess Elia Martell, to lay the queen of beauty's laurel in Lyanna's lap.
He would always remember it: a crown of winter roses, blue as frost.