Disclaimer: I do not own Game of Thrones or Elder Scrolls
Thanks to Milarqui for his help in fixing this chapter!
Chapter 10: Proving One's Feelings
"What do you mean, Arya's not here?" William asked in confusion.
"I'm afraid Arya dear did not show up for our scheduled lesson," Syrio answered.
"I'm sure there's nothing wrong. She's just late for some reason," Delphine guessed. However, there was a note of concern in her voice.
William did not agree. Arya loved her sword lessons. She would not let anything keep her from missing one.
"I'm going to go look for her."
William headed for the door. He would check Arya's room first to see if she really was just late. As he stepped out the door, however, Arya herself suddenly ran past him.
"Arya?" William said in shock. Was she crying? "Arya, wait!"
Arya ignored William's calls as she ran towards her room. The Queen's cruel words kept pounding in her mind. She felt an ache inside of her. An emotional pain that hurt so much. The worst part however was not the cruel things that the Queen had said. It was something that the Queen had inadvertently made Arya realize.
She realized she was truly falling in love with William. That was what hurt the most. She did not know if he returned her feelings or if what the Queen said was true and he did not feel the same way towards her. She was now afraid to learn the truth.
Arya reached her room and jerked her door open before William caught up to her.
"Arya! Please wait!" William said as he stopped her from running into her room.
"Let go! Just leave me alone!" Arya shouted at him through her tears.
"Not until you tell me what's wrong!" William replied. "What happened? Why are you crying?"
"It doesn't concern you, William!" Arya said as she turned her head away from him.
William stared in surprise at Arya using his full name. She had not called him by his full name since they first met.
"Of course it concerns me, you're my friend!"
"Is that all I am to you?" Arya whispered under her breath.
"You mean a lot to me Arya. I care about you."
"DO YOU?!" Arya suddenly shouted at him with a tear-filled glare. "Why? Why would you care about me?!"
"I'VE ALWAYS CARED!" William suddenly shouted back before staring at the ground. ""I... I've only just begun to realize just how much I care for you. I... I think I'm falling for you." William looked back up into Arya's eyes. "I... I think I'm in love with you."
Arya's eyes widened in surprise at William's words. But she heard the Queen's voice in the back of her mind again and she turned away.
"How do I know you're not just saying that?"
"Tell me then. How can I prove it?" William asked in determination.
Arya stared down at the ground as William waited. After a moment, she finally spoke.
"The tournament tomorrow," she said in a small voice.
William blinked in confusion.
"Do you... want me to win it in your name?"
"No," Arya replied before looking at him. "Knights always promise to win tournaments for ladies. I'm not like other ladies. I want you to lose against the Kingslayer. Not withdraw. Lose, on purpose."
"What?" William said in shock. "Why something like that?"
"So that you can prove to me that I mean something more to you than honor or duty," Arya answered.
"I don't care about my own honor!" William denied. "But if I do this then I'll be dishonoring my house and my father who I said I would joust in his stead."
"I know that," Arya said. "You have to choose which means more to you."
"But... I," William stuttered. "I-I just... I just can't."
"So be it," Arya said as a shadow crossed over her eyes. "Goodnight, Prince William."
She turned and entered her room. She slammed the door behind her, leaving William alone in the hallway. He just stood there staring at the door.
"Arya..." After standing there for a few moments, William slowly turned and started down the hallway. He suddenly smashed his fist against the stone wall. "Damn it all to Oblivion. How did all of this happen?"
In her room, Arya leaned her back against the door. She slowly sunk to the floor and hugged her legs as a fresh wave of tears flowed from her eyes.
The Wall
In the dead of night, Jon and Sam emerged from the castle lift onto the top of the Wall. They made their way along the top, keeping their eyes out for Serana. They came across her at one of the lookout post, but she was not alone.
"Isran?" Jon said in surprise. "We didn't know you would be here as well. I was looking for you earlier."
"About Samwell Tarly, I'm guessing," Isran said, surprising both Jon and Sam. "There's no need to speak on his behalf. Sorine has already recommended young Sam to the Dawnguard. You may not be a fighter, but you can help Sorine in her work and research. You can also learn medicines from another Dawnguard knight, Florentius Baenius."
"I-I'm honored, Sir. Really, I am," Sam stammered out.
"You might change your mind after tonight. Both of you might," Isran replied. Jon and Sam stared at him in confusion. "Serana thinks the two of you are ready to learn some things. Even though I'm not completely convinced."
"They will learn the truth sooner or later, Isran," Serana insisted. Isran just glanced at her for a moment before sighing.
"Very well. Tell me, you two. What do you know about the Dawnguard's history?"
"Thousands of years ago, the Dawnguard managed to convince the King of the North and the King-Beyond-the-Wall to ally together and defeat the Night's King, correct?" Sam immediately answered.
"Since then, the Dawnguard exist to aid the Night's Watch," Jon continued.
"That's true," Isran answered. "But do you know what we were before then? Do you know about the events which lead to that battle? About what the Dawnguard's purpose was before we began to aid the Watch?"
Jon did not know that so he turned towards Sam. Sam himself scrunched up his face as he tried to remember what he'd once read.
"It's an old tale, if I remember correctly. Something about the Dawnguard being... vampire hunters, wasn't it?"
"Vampires?" Jon said confused. "You mean those old tales about men who were cursed and fed on the blood of people? Those are just silly old stories."
"Sam is correct. The Dawnguard was dedicated to eradicating vampires. Which was one of the main reasons that the Dawnguard joined in attacking the Night's King," Isran spoke.
"The Night's King allied himself with a powerful clan of vampires," Serana spoke up. "Two powerful and unnatural creatures would make a powerful alliance. They probably would have succeeded in invading the south. But the vampires were betrayed by one of their own, who aided the Dawnguard in leading the assault on the Night's King and his allies."
"But these are just bedtime stories told to children," Jon insisted. "Vampires can't actually exist."
"Oh really, Jon Snow?" Serana questioned as she slowly walked up towards him. She leaned close to his face. "Even if," she tilted her head back and opened her mouth wide, exposing her unnatural long canine teeth, "there was one standing right in front of you?"
Jon's eyes widened in shock as he stumbled back in surprise.
"W-what?"
"A-amazing!" Sam said in surprise. "Why didn't I realize it before? Your reddish-orange eyes are a dead giveaway! B-but an actual vampire... how come you're not trying to kill us?"
Sam withered at Serana's death glare.
"You think just because I'm a vampire I'm going to try to kill you? Use your head! I would have already killed you by now if I wanted to!"
"Uh... sorry," Sam mumbled.
Jon did not speak as he just stared at Serana. Never in his wildest dreams did he ever believe that he would encounter a vampire.
"But... if you're a vampire, then why hasn't the Dawnguard tried to kill you if they are vampire hunters?"
"When Sorine, Gunmar, and I first entered Fort Dawnguard to see what its condition was, we found her sealed in a sarcophagus in an isolated room hidden in the fort," Isran explained. "We opened it to find her with... a scroll. When we realized she was a vampire we almost killed her before she suddenly asked us if we were the reformed Dawnguard, so we ended up listening to what she had to say. Afterwards, we decided to trust her because of her valuable knowledge. Your friend, Prince William, was made aware of all this years ago."
"As I said earlier, a vampire had betrayed the clan of vampires that was allied with the White Walkers," Serana said as her face fell in sadness. "That clan was Volkihar... and I was the vampire who betrayed her own family to aid in their defeat."
"What! Vampires or not, how could you betrayed your own family?" Jon exclaimed. He could not understand how anyone would be willing to betray one'ss family, regardless of what actions they committed.
"You think I wanted to, Jon Snow!" Serana retorted into Jon's face. "Everyone apart of clan Volkihar knew that an alliance with the White Walkers would only be temporary. In time, we would betray and battle each other. My mother and I protested the whole idea. We told my father that the White Walkers would turn on us after destroying everything in Westeros."
"But my father was not the man I once knew," she continued with her head lowered. "He became obsessed with some prophecy and believed it would lead the vampires to victory. I stole away the Elder Scroll before my father could find a way to decipher it, went to the Dawnguard and aided them in helping defeat the White Walkers and the Volkihar vampires. What remained of my family disappeared in the north and I stayed at Fort Dawnguard, knowing that, one day, both the White Walkers and the vampires would return."
Serana lifted her head back up to look at them.
"When the Dawnguard eventually disbanded, my mother sealed me in a sarcophagus with the Elder Scroll until the day would come when my aid would be needed again. I remained there until Isran and the newly revived Dawnguard found me."
Jon was silent. He did not like the idea of betraying ones family, but what if he was in the same situation as Serana. Would he have done the same? Now that he thought about it, he really could not blame her for her actions.
After a moment, a thought occurred to Jon.
"What is an Elder Scroll?"
"A magical scroll that contains a mysterious and immense power. They are believed to have been created by the Aedra, the Divines. The Elder Scrolls can contain knowledge beyond your imagination about prophesies, events, and time itself. Dangerous in the wrong hands," Isran explained.
"Wait, then where is it?" Jon questioned.
"I gave it to your friend, the Black Prince," Serana answered. "It was too risky to let me continue to carry it so close to the land beyond the Wall, so he sealed the Elder Scroll in a vault below Cloud Ruler."
Jon nodded in relief. William had explained about the new walls that had greatly strengthened Cloud Ruler's defenses. Hopefully an object as powerful as this Elder Scroll sounded like would be safe there.
"If vampires do exist... then so do the White Walkers?" Sam suddenly asked. Jon froze at his words. He held his breath as he waited for an answer.
"Have you not heard of all the tales and reports from beyond the Wall?" Isran asked. "Both the vampires and White Walkers exist."
"Darkness is stirring once again," Serana spoke as she gazed northwards from the Wall. "Pray that we will be ready for whatever comes."
King's Landing
Eddard Stark sat in the stands with his daughters waiting for the jousting to begin. He had to admit, despite his personal distaste for the whole tournament, he was happy to learn that the Crown would profit from the event. Eddard was glad he had decided to name William as his Acting Hand. He was not sure how William did it, but the boy had pulled through with helping the Crown once again. Now, on his Nameday, he would be competing in the final matches for the joust. There were times when Eddard felt like William was his own son, and this was one of those times.
In fact, he will become my son when he marries Arya, Eddard thought. He glanced over at Arya but frowned at what he saw. Arya sat silently while staring intently at her feet. Eddard then glanced down towards the King's platform in the center of the stands where William was standing next to his father, Robert. The boy looked depressed to Eddard as he just stared into space.
Has something happened? I was certain the two of them were getting along very well. But now they're avoiding each other. I hope everything is all right.
Sitting next to the King and her son, Cersei glanced towards the Stark girl and grinned. It seemed that her efforts to break her son apart from the girl was showing success. It was actually much easier than she anticipated. Sansa Stark was so naïve and innocent that it was almost disappointingly easy for Cersei to manipulate her. A simple remark while speaking in private with the girl about how it would be better for Sansa to marry Joffrey, and the girl immediately opened up Cersei. Afterwards, it was a simple manner of casually asking an occasional question about Sansa's younger sister to learn how to best deal with the girl. Sansa believed that so much of life would be like a fantasy dream that Cersei almost felt bad deceiving the foolish girl. Almost.
Afterwards, it was a simple matter to meet with the younger Stark and break her down. Despite the girl's tomboyish nature, she was still conscious about her looks. Using that and putting doubt in the girls mind about William's opinion of her was all she really needed to break the girl down. It was child's play compared to the politics that Cersei contended with on a daily basis.
As she glanced to the other side of Robert at William however, Cersei's smile faded a bit. Her son was the real dilemma. He would not be nearly as easy to manipulate, especially with recent events. Despite the implications of a political alliance with the North, Cersei could not help but feel pride when she learned her William was appointed as Acting Hand. But he was too close with the Northerners, and needed to be separated from them somehow. She could deal with that later, however. The real problems was getting him to stay away from the Lyanna look-alike.
Cersei truly believed that her son did not like the Stark girl, who would after all? But she needed to get her son to turn his focus away from Arya Stark. Since returning back to King's Landing, Cersei had been idly mentioning different southern highborn girls, in hopes of getting a reaction from her son. However, none of the girls Cersei mentioned seemed to attract her son's attention. Cersei remembered the way that William had looked at the Tyrell girl years ago in Highgarden, but she would be even worse to have at the capital than the Stark girl.
Cersei finally just shook her thoughts away. She would find a proper match for her son eventually. For now, it was best to celebrate William's Nameday. She smiled at him, which he half-heartedly returned. Although she would have preferred for William to be wearing the red and gold colors of the Lannisters, Cersei could not deny that her son was quite handsome in his new shiny black armor. Sitting next to Cersei, Joffrey eyed the ebony armor with envy and silently swore to himself that he would find a better, more ornamented armor.
William watched as the first joust began between Ser Loras and Gregor Clegane, The Mountain. Gregor's horse seemed to act up just as Loras's lance struck him and both the Mountain and his horse fell. The crowd cheered for the Knight of Flowers, but things quickly turned deadly.
The Mountain yelled for his sword and used it to kill his own steed. He then came at Loras and knocked him off his horse. Loras defended himself with his shield as the Mountain brought down his blade when Sandor Clegane jumped down and stopped the blow.
"Vilkas! Farkas!" William yelled to the nearby brothers. The two of them immediately moved into the fray. Farkas surprised the Hound when he blocked his blow and shoved him away, while Vilkas jumped in and redirected the Mountain's blade. Despite the werewolf's blood strengthening him even in his human form, Vilkas knew better than to try to directly block a two-handed blow from the massive Gregor.
Gregor glared at Vilkas and would have attacked the Harbinger, but was stopped by the King.
"Stop this madness in the name of your King!" Robert yelled. Gregor just stared at the king for a moment before furiously walking off, giving Vilkas a glare that promised death the next time they meet.
Loras had pulled himself off the ground and approached Sandor.
"I owe you my life for stopping his first blow, Ser."
"I'm no Ser," Sandor grumbled back. However, Loras just grasped his hand and raised it up. This signaled that he yielded to Sandor in the Joust. The crowd cheered on at this.
This means that if I somehow beat my uncle I have to face the Hound, William thought. He moved to the end of the field for his match against Jaime. As he passed in front of where Arya sat, he glanced at her. Arya did not even acknowledge his presence as she continued to stare at her feet, causing William to grimace.
As William mounted Shadow, Barristan and Delphine both walked up to him. Delphine handed him a lance after he placed on his helmet.
"Good luck, Prince William," Barristan encouraged.
William did not answer as he looked down the field to see his uncle Jaime ready with lance in hand. The trumpet sounded the start and Jaime raced towards him. Just as William was about to kick Shadow into a charge, a memory suddenly appeared in his vision.
Flashback
"This place is amazing Will!" a younger Arya said as she eagerly looked around the hidden temple of the Blades, Sky Haven Temple.
"It better be worth it. Your mother is going to give me hell for sneaking you out of Winterfell," William replied as Arya gazed in awe at a large mural in the main hall. "Come with me. I'll show you the best part."
William led Arya through some large doors. Arya gasped as they came out to the exterior of the temple into the courtyard. A courtyard that sat on the top of a mountain. They came near the edge and they both gazed out at the view of the Northlands.
"It's beautiful," Arya breathed.
"You're the only one who isn't a member of the Blades to know of this place, Arya. So please, keep it a secret," William said with a chuckle. He froze as he felt Arya's arms wrap around him.
"Thank you, Will," Arya said as she hugged him for the first time.
Flashback End
The memory passed through William in a split second. For some reason, it made him truly realize what he felt. He pulled on Shadow's reigns and raised his lance straight upwards. He sat there just waiting.
"What's William doing?" Eddard asked out loud as he and a large number of people stopped cheering and stared in surprise at the Black Prince. He noticed Arya standing up. "Arya?" he questioned.
Arya did not answer. She leaned against the railing like she was in a trance. She could only stare in disbelief.
Is he... is he really going to do it?
"Prince William! What are you doing?" Delphine shouted at her liege lord.
"Losing," William sighed.
"What! Why would you do that?"
"Because I'm a silly stag," William answered as he braced himself.
Jaime's lance slammed dead center into William's chest. The blow threw him back in his saddle. The crowd let out a loud groan as William straightened himself upright.
Arya winced as the lance struck William but she still smiled. Her heart suddenly went soaring among the clouds.
"He does care... he really does love me," she said as her grip tightened around the rail in joy.
"What is that boy thinking he's doing?" Robert half-shouted. Cersei just stared in open-mouth confusion. Joffrey, after he got over his surprise, grinned wickedly at the sight.
Jaime turned and road back alongside William.
"I certainly did not expect that, nephew. I hope you don't plan on me withdrawing so as to avoid me accidently hurting you. I don't back out of a joust."
"I don't want you to withdraw. I know what I'm doing. Just continue as normal," William replied.
"If you insist," Jaime said with a shrug before riding back to the other side of the field. In truth, Jaime was rather thrilled. He never understood why Cersei would keep a child from that so-called husband who fancied himself a king. Jaime was excited as he could get some symbolic revenge on the man he hated for treating Cersei so poorly.
Delphine and Barristan approached William in confusion when Aela suddenly ran up. The huntress usually stayed out of the city as she hated crowded places but she planned on joining in the Archery contest. She wanted answers about what she just saw.
"You haven't gone deaf, have you?" she asked William. "You did hear the trumpet sounding?"
"Yes, Aela, I heard the trumpet," William answered in annoyance.
"My Prince," Barristan spoke up. "Don't tell me you intend to fall behind for a more dramatic victory."
"If he is, then I want to know what his head hit to cause him to lose his sense," Aela remarked.
"Look, Arya told me that I have to lose this match if I want to prove my love to her," William explained.
"By the Nine, I liked it better when I thought you were deaf," Aela said in exasperation. The trumpet sounded for the second match and Jaime immediately raced towards William.
"Prince William, you could get yourself killed. Why go to such lengths?" Barristan tried to reason.
"Because!" William said as he braced himself again before shouting. "I'VE FALLEN IN LOVE WITH ARYA!"
Jaime's second lance slammed into William's stomach this time. He was now losing by two points. Up in the stands, Robert threw his goblet down and stood up. He walked over to the trumpeter and swung him around to face him.
"Do not sound that trumpet again until I say so!"
"Y-yes, Your Grace," the trumpeter fearfully replied.
Robert then stomped down the stands straight towards William. Arya glanced at the king as he passed before she looked below the stands. She spotted one of the Blades posted right below her.
"Baurus!" she said, catching his attention. "I need you to bring a message to Will right away!"
William handed his lance to Delphine and took off his helmet as his father approached.
"William! What in the Seven Hells do you think you're doing?! Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Robert demanded to know.
"I'm sorry father, but I'm losing on purpose," William answered.
"Oh really? I never would have guessed!" Robert said sarcastically. "What I want to know is why!"
"This is what Arya told me to do in order to prove that I love her."
Robert stared at his son with an open mouth.
"She told you that? And you're going along with it?"
"Yes, father."
"If you do that, Will, you'll not only insult your honor, you'll insult your family, you'll lose any respect you've gained, and commoners and nobles alike will mock you behind your back. Is the Stark girl worth all that?" Robert questioned as he suddenly turned serious.
"No, she's worth more than that," William answered seriously. "There's nothing I wouldn't give up for her."
Robert stared intently at his son before finally speaking.
"You really are in love with the girl, aren't you?"
"Yes, I am."
"Pardon me, my liege," Baurus said as he ran up to them. "But I have a message from lady Arya."
"What message?" William asked.
"Lady Arya says that if you want to prove yourself-"
"I have to lose this match, I know that," William interrupted.
"Actually, my Prince," Baurus replied sheepishly, "she asked me to tell you she wants you to win this match and knock Ser Jaime off his horse. She then wants you to go on and win this tournament."
William and Robert stared at the Blade for a moment. Then both father and son slowly turned their gazes towards the stands to see Arya still leaning against the railing with a small grin.
"Lance," William ordered as he put his helmet on.
"That girl is just as spirited as Lyanna," Robert noted. "That's a rare girl you've fallen for, Will."
"Oh, how I love and hate her," William said in exasperation.
Robert signaled the trumpeter who sounded for the charge. William urged Shadow into a gallop and raced down the field. As he and Jaime met halfway, William jerked his lance forward almost spear-like straight into the face of Jaime's helmet. Jaime's own lance grazed William's shoulder but did not break. As William continued onwards, he glanced back to see Jaime slam into the ground. After laying there a moment, Jaime slowly pulled off his helmet with a dazed looked in his eyes.
The crowd was silent in shock, and then, as one, they broke out in cheers. William rode back pass Arya with a smile on his face. Arya herself was grinning in joy.
William returned to his position to wait for the final match. He now had to face the Hound. William knew that he would be unable to knock Sandor off his saddle. He was too big and too strong, so his only chance to win was by having more points.
As the trumpet sounded, William and Sandor charged each other. William's lance broke off of the Hound's helmet. The Hound's lance slammed into William's gut, causing him to lose his air. William's good start gave him two points to Sandor's one.
The second round was the same as the first. William's lance broke off the helmet while the Hound's lance slammed into his gut a second time. A shot of pain passed through William with each breath he took. Both of Sandor's lances had struck him in the same spot. As strong as the ebony armor was, it could protect the wearer only for so much.
William knew he was in a bad position. He was in pain and was even a little dizzy. Although he now had four points to Sandor's two, he knew that the next blow could knock him off his horse.
If he does not break a lance of my helmet, all I have to do is just not fall off. Even if I miss, I'll win by one point. I just have to endure.
The final joust began. William's lance had missed while the Hound's had struck him in the gut for the third time. As if sensing his master's distress, Shadow did not immediately stop and gradually slowed down. Arya could not hold back a gasp as William began to fall to the side. The crowd held their breath. At the last second, William grabbed the horn on his saddle. He hanged there for a moment before summoning all his strength and pulled himself back up.
The crowd let out a roar and some people began to chant 'The Black Prince' over and over again. William did his best to stay in the saddle as he slowly removed his helmet. He felt nothing but pain in his stomach as he slowly guided Shadow over to the King's platform. Robert could easily tell that his son was hurt and hurried along the formalities.
"I, King Robert, heerby announce William Baratheon, the Black Prince, as champion of the tournament!"
As the crowd cheered again, an aid brought forth the Crown of Love and Beauty for William to give to a lady of his choosing. A crown made of blue colored flowers.
Blue winter roses, William thought. How perfect.
William rode down the stands and stopped in front of Arya. The two of them stared at each other. Arya's eyes were filled with concern. William just painfully leaned over and set the crown on her head. He then road off with the people still cheering.
Delphine and four Blades along with the Companions were waiting for him at a tent.
"Farkas, please catch me," William requested as he began to fall. Farkas reached him in an instant and grabbed him in his arms.
"Get him inside the tent," Delphine ordered. "You four, stand guard out here," she ordered the four Blades.
Colette was waiting inside next to a makeshift bed.
"Place him down here and get his armor off," When the ebony armor was removed, Colette swore at the mas of black and blue on William's stomach. She grumbled something about fools in love before her hands glowed with restoration magic. It was a good thing she had been able to improve her skills by learning from Danica Pure-Springs while staying in the North. After a moment, William's breathing came under control as most of the damage was healed.
"You're not moving from that bed for a while, understand?" Colette ordered. "I know your father is hosting a feast tonight for your Nameday, and now for you becoming champion. But you're going to get some rest and sleep until then."
"Very well," William was in no mood to argue. "Delphine, please stand vigil outside, and don't let anyone disturb me."
Delphine glanced over her shoulder as she felt someone enter the tent. She smiled as she replied.
"As you wish, Prince William. My Blades and I won't let anyone else in."
Delphine stepped aside to reveal Arya standing there with her head lowered. She left the tent with Colette following behind, leaving William and Arya alone. The two of them remained silent for a moment.
"Arya, I-"
"I'm sorry," Arya interrupted.
"What?" William asked in confusion. Arya slowly lifted her head revealing that her eyes were watering.
"I-I'm sorry. I should never have put you through all that. It was wrong of me," Arya explained as she walked up beside the bed. "When I was told that I was going to be married to you, I became afraid. I never wanted to be married because I was afraid of losing what little freedom I had."
Arya's gaze then softened.
"But later, I realized that my fears were unfounded. While we were friends you've always took me with you out of Winterfell and we shared different adventures together. I realized that you would never shackle or cage me. I realized that I... was falling in love with you."
William's eyes widened as Arya confessed what she was feeling. After being silent for a moment, Arya continued.
"But when I realized that, my fears started to return. I was just so afraid you didn't feel the same way about me. I just needed to know that you truly felt that way about me. I'm so sorry about putting you through all this." Arya turned to leave. "I'll let you rest now."
She was stopped when she felt William's hand grab her own. She let out a yelp of surprise as William pulled her onto the bed and into his arms.
"W-Will?" Arya breathed in confusion as she blushed.
"I wasn't lying about what I felt Arya," William spoke as he held her. "I don't know if I've always felt this way or if I just recently began to feel this way. But I now know that I really have fallen in love with you."
Arya looked up at him with wide eyes as he continued.
"I've always enjoyed being with you. I love you for who you are. I always want to be with you, wolf girl."
"I want to be with you too, silly stag," Arya softy replied.
"Then... will you marry me for me? Not because of our parents' arrangement?" William asked.
"Of course I will," Arya answered as the two of them embraced each other. After holding each other for a moment, Arya spoke again. "You need to rest, my Black Prince. I'll stay right here if that's alright."
"I wouldn't want you anywhere else, my Wolf Princess." William replied.
Arya let out a chuckle. "Wolf Princess... I like that."
Arya snuggled against William as he let himself fall asleep.
You don't belong with my son. My William. My noble Black Prince, the Queen's words echoed.
You're wrong, Arya said back. He was never yours. He's mine and I'm his. Nothing you do or say will ever change that. For he's my Black Prince and I'm his Wolf Princess.
Delphine smiled at the sight. She closed the tent flap and turned to give her Blades a nod of encouragement. She did not know what had caused the problems between the two earlier, but she was happy that they made up. As she resumed her spot between her fellow Blades however, a frown appeared on her face as she spotted someone approaching who would ruin the two lovebirds moment.
Cersei strode towards the tent her son was taken to. Two Kingsguard followed behind her. Cersei did not see the Stark girl anywhere after the joust ended and assumed that she had left for the castle keep.
Cersei decided that this would be a good opportunity to try to push her son away from Arya Stark. She would show William that his mother cared about him and would make one or two subtle comments about how his betrothed was not around for him. If he believe that the girl did not care for him, especially after he named her Queen of Love and Beauty of the tournament, then he might be more willing to listen to his mother.
As Cersei approached the tent however, Delphine stepped in front of her.
"No one is allowed in until further notice," Delphine stated as she planted herself between the Queen and the tent.
"Excuse me?" Cersei said in shock and anger. "Do you realize who you talking to?"
"I'm fully aware of who you are, Queen Cersei," Delphine answered with a blank stare. "But my liege lord, your son, has ordered my Blades and I to let no one in while he is resting."
"I am Queen of the Seven Kingdoms!" Cersei shouted in anger. "Your Queen demands that you stand aside and let her pass!"
"Even if you were the king I still would not let you pass," Delphine calmly replied.
Cersei stared at the woman with her jaw dropped. No one had ever dared to defy her in this manner before.
"I- you- how- How dare you! I should have you arrested, or have the Kingsguard deal with you!"
"The Blades have sworn loyalty to Prince William, and obey his words. We serve no one else, not even the king," Delphine stated and glanced at the two Kingsguard flanking Cersei. "As for these two... Ser Meryn Trant and Ser Boros Blount, correct? Heh, you think these two are a threat to me? You're better off getting your brother or Ser Barristan if you want to give me a good fight. A regular knight of the Blades could defeat these two."
Both Kingsguard glared at Delphine along with Cersei.
"You honestly believe that you can match the noble and honored knights of the Kingsguard?"
Delphine allowed herself a small smirk.
"Have you heard about the schism that lead the Akaviri Dragonsguard to cease serving the Targaryens and form the Order of Blades, Your Grace? I won't trouble you with all the details, but one interesting tale of that event involves the Dragonsguard Grandmaster. He was an Akaviri man named Musashi, and he was the one who reformed the Dragonsguard into the Blades. He is also regarded as the most deadly Grandmaster in both the Dragonsguard and the Blades to exist. This is because, during the schism, he challenged the Kingsguard to a contest. He single-handedly dueled all seven Kingsguard at once, and defeated them with a wooden practice sword."
Delphine tilted her head as she continued to smirk at the angry Queen.
"While I do not dare to presume to be as skilled as the famed Musashi, I'm more than confident that I can deal with these two lapdogs. I suggest you visit with your son another time, Your Grace."
Cersei's hand clenched as she trembled with suppressed rage. She did not believe such a story. How could anyone be that skilled? But the bitch in front of her was backed by four more Blades and Cersei was not fool enough to try and pick a fight here. She turned and angrily marched away.
How dare that bitch defy me like that! she thought. It seems I need to get rid of those damn Blades along with that Stark girl.
Cersei did not believe the stories about the swordsmanship of the Blades. They had to be exaggerated. So what if that woman managed to strike Barristan Selmy first? He was old anyways. That had to be the reason. Regardless, Cersei swore that she would get rid of those fakes and get proper Lannister guards protecting her son. And then that bitch who defied her would get what was coming to her.
That evening, Delphine stood on a balcony overlooking the feast. Her Blades were spread out around the banquet room, and she kept watch from above as her Prince dined joyfully with his future bride. Delphine could not hold back a chuckle as she saw the Queen glare at the two.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed her own and swung her around. She glared at the person holding her in his arms.
"Moves like that are going to get yourself killed, Syrio."
Syrio just grinned before he looked down at the knife that Delphine was poking at his belly.
"Still as deadly as ever. Syrio always loved to see you dance with a blade, my Bunny."
Delphine blushed as Syrio slowly guided her to the music that was playing below for the feast.
"I'm on duty, Syrio. This isn't a good time. Not to mention I'm still uneasy about... what happened that day."
"You think Syrio is upset at what you did?" Syrio asked in his unique speech. "It was Syrio's foolishness that caused that scenario. He knows you did what you had to do."
"That doesn't make it any easier," Delphine replied in a soft voice.
"Ah, Syrio misses those days. What an honor it was, to watch the lovely lady Delphine dance so wonderful a dance of swords. Syrio remembers the day that he failed to defeat the famed Red Viper. He who challenged Syrio with hopes of impressing lovely lady Delphine enough to share his bed."
"Syrio," she replied, warning him.
"The look on the Viper's face when lovely Delphine challenged him and beat him however, smoothed any painful feeling that Syrio felt." Syrio then looked Delphine straight into her eyes and leaned closer. "You are the deadliest woman in the world... tell me you love me."
"Syrio."
"Yes, my Bunny?"
"The music has stopped."
Syrio blinked as he glanced over the balcony as the music did indeed stop.
"Ah... back to one's duties then. Some other time, perhaps."
Syrio kissed Delphine's hand before he left her so she could continue her duty. Delphine stared after him for a moment before returning to her post.
Chapter End
Author's note: So, William and Arya have discovered and accepted their feelings for one another and Serana has revealed some past history. I hope I did some scenes in this chapter well enough.
Q&A's
ww1990ww: I was surprised to lean that. I looked into that and found that William's closest Targaryen relative would be his great grandmother. I'm not sure how closely related that makes him to Daenerys (I'm not good a figuring out that sort of thing) I guess it does not' matter however.
Wolvenstrom: I do have something special planned for Gregor Clegane but that wo not be until this story reaches season four I'm afraid.
Ikki34: Cersei does genially love William but obviously has some dislike towards him as well. I'm glad you think Arya and William have great chemistry!
TetrisLame: I'm not sure what's permitted for marriage in Aedra worship and what's not. There's a lot of things unspecified. And your right, I think my love for anime might have influence my decision to have the paring poll in the first place. Thought, in my opinion, the minimum number of girl needed to qualify as a harem is three, anything less than that is a love triangle. Either way, is seems we're staying with just Arya/William.
Lt. Cmdr. Rander: I wonder if a lot of fanfic author's experience fourth wall problems?
Jiraiya the Toad Sage: NOOOO! Ranting Ryuu, how could you let this HAPPEN?! Where am I supposed to get my research for Icha Icha Dragon now?
I'm sorry Jiraiya, but that just the way it is now.
Jiraiya: 'sigh' well, it's not a total loss, I can still get some research material for another best seller, Icha Icha Wolf Princess!
Sheogorath: HOHO! Make sure to reserve a copy for me, Jiraiya-boy!
Deadpool: HEY! There you are! You stinking daidra... doodra? WHATEVER THE HELL YOU ARE! You cannot go around stealing MY GIMMICK!
Sheogorath: I ca not? Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I did not know that, I just- WABBAJACK!
With a flash, Deadpool was turned into a one eyed, one horned, flying purple people eater.
Sheogorath: and it sure looks strange to me! HAHA!
... I really need to find out how other authors seal the fourth wall and quickly.
movienut96: I've found that crossover stories are either some of the best or worst stories on . It all depends on one's preferences and how open-minded a person can be. I'm glad you like William. I was worried about how people would react to him.
guest (there were a number of guest review so I'll cover most of them right here):
Age of Oppression with altered lyric? I just listen to that song about Ulfric and I do like it. I might be able to meet your request but it will still be a few chapters off and probably wo not be about Ulfric either.
There are a few themes from Oblivion but I have not played that nearly as much as Skyrim. I do have one or two more things from Oblivion that might make an appearance.
Finally! Someone mentions the dagger that Viserys had. Wonder what it is? I'm afraid you'll just have to wait.
I'm afraid I do not have any plans for the Greybeards at this time. They might not appear. I'm just unsure for now.
Ranschaj: My own character is only around level 50. :( I still have a way to go. William did win the tournament but probably not in the way you expected lol! True, Hircine might be more interested in Bran, but Bran is not a werewolf or a hunter really. We'll see what happens. I'm not sure if I'll give Dawnbreaker or Longclaw to Jon yet.
U.N.S: Long time no see! I'm glad you think the story's progression and structure is well but I suspect that's because I'm basing it a lot on the episodes of the series. I own the first three on dvd. Still thanks for the encouragement.
Atharos: Love at first sight might actually happen at times, but I like it if the relationship is developed. The Ebony Warrior was suggested by another reviewer. He's technically not an ally as he owes allegiance to no one, but he's not really an enemy either. He'll be popping up here and there and I have a special scene planned for him around season four. Hope this chapter answers some questions about Serana and more about her as well as the effect of ebony and dragonglass will be explained by her in the future.