Author's Note: hi! Here's an update! Sorry I've been busy! This chapter is shorter than my usual ones but that's because a lot is to happen on the next chapter. Thank you for the follows, faves and reviews, they're what keeps me updating this. The more feedback I get the more I feel that I should keep up my pace. Thanks for yout time!

chapter 10

Broken Pieces

"Mama! Mama! I'm like grandfather!" A little boy of 5 with sea blue eyes and dark hair with his chubby little face with dark marks on his faces pretending they were leeches.

A stuffed sown sword hitting the boy's head "I'm lord commander of the night's watch!" A little girl of six with silver ash hair had exclaimed.

"Hey! Stop it Beth! Mama! She's hitting me again!" The younger boy complained.

Another boy of five with dark hair with pale blue eyes but a similar face as the other boy "Beth, Don't be dumb, girls can't enter the night's watch!" The bookish young boy scolded his older sister.

"You fool! That's why it's called pretend!" The little girl stuck her tongue out.

Rhone had felt something yank on her skirts, a female toddler with dark hair and pale blue eyes lovingly looking at her. "Mama." She had called out asking to ne carried.

Rhone had carried the child avoiding the swell on her stomach. A crying child was heard from the other room as the other children had bickered.

"Now now, your ruckus woke up your little brother." She had heard a familiar voice behind her carrying a babe of 6 moons now cooing happily in his arms.

Her heart warmths seeing his slightly bearded face and given him a kiss on the lips, "What was that for, love?" He had grinned at Rhone.

She smiled brightly, "Nothing. I just wanted to kiss you." She told him with her heart fluttering.

He smirked, "I would have placed more children in your belly tonight if you weren't already with child again." The infant had started reaching for his short beard.

"Papa! Papa! Beth has been hittng me with her sword again!" The boy with the drawn marks on his face cried.

Domeric had laughed heartily at the sight, "Roose! Why do you have those marks on your face?" He asked his son.

"I'm the looooord of Dreadfort!" The boy exclaimed.

They stayed in braavos for ten years and raised eight children til they returned to Dreadfort when Roose Bolton had decided that it was time for Domeric to oversee the duty of being the lord of the fortress.

The North had bent its knee to the dragon queen who conquered Kings Landing with grown three dragons and dothraki. She had spared the North, the Reach and Dorne had taken her side as she annihilated the Baratheons. She had allowed the crowned Baratheon children to be sent to Casterly Rock along with their uncle. The Lannister queen had committed suicide as the kingslayer was executed. Rhone had paid a faceless man to have Ramsay Snow tattered into pieces perhaps it could be the reason why they had been summoned back to Westeros.

Jon had been knighted and offered a lordship, he was to wed her youngest sister, Maris when she becomes of age.

Their eldest daughter Bethany who favored Rhone had been sent to Kingslanding to be betrothed to the Half Targaryen prince to be wed when the boy turns ten and six. It was said the child had bickered a lot with the prince, Queen Daenerys had found the child's spirit endearing. Rhone had declined a position in the small council since she had wanted to stay by her husband's side. She had said she was content with what she had with the trade, the iron bank and her family.

Their other children had been sent as wards in the south and at winterfell. Their twins had stayed as both were of age

they had stayed there to learn what their future responsibilities are as heir and castellan.

One snowy afternoon Rhone and Domeric had taken a stroll around the weeping waters. They were not very far from the village, Domeric had decided to show her some place. He had tied a silk handkerchief so her eyes are covered.

"You and your surprises, Dom. To think you would have grown out of them by now. You know being blind scares me" She had commented while holding onto his warm hand.

He chuckled, "Don't lie, you're probably getting wet out of excitement just by not seeing and holding my hand, knowing how you crave even just for my touch." He had playfully teased her as they had stopped walking

Her cheeks felt warm and stopped in her pace. "Are you really going to pretend, there is no truth to that? With all your moaning every night in our marriage bed?" He mocked her as he cornered her to a tree.

M"We're here anyway." He informed her but locked her wrists above her he had pinned her against to what had felt like a tree.

"Are you not going to at least untie my my blindfold?" She had asked him?

"I think I would like to keep it on you." He teased her and pressed their bodies together.

She had felt her cheeks getting hot, she did not protest a part of her did enjoy it with his soft kisses on her neck,it was as if there were things that could be left forgotten.

It was not long before he took her there, "maybe we should have one more child." He whispered as he let go of her wrists and untied her blindfold, the light slightly blinds her.

Her eyes close as his lips were planted on hers. He parts from her with a shocked look in his eyes, death was all she could see, the forest darkens and behind Domeric all she could remember was ice cold blue eyes staring behind him

Mocking her.

"Rhone wake up!" She heard a familiar voice of a woman calling to her, weeping she heard in the background. Grogginess she had felt.

It all came back to her, the wedding turned funeral, the bastard who got away with her beloved's death, when she was dragged out of Dreadfort wanting to destroy the Bolton bastard. It all came back and it all hurt all over again.

"You have a lot explaining to do to the old man, Rhone." The mad maid sco"Sweetsleep and the shade of the evening mixed together, what were you thinking?! And your moons blood how long have you had it?" She asked.

The little light was in no mood to talk, she did not feel like arguing she felt like she did not even want to care. She wanted to go back to the life she lived in a dream that she barely remembers how many moons that had been taken away from her.

In dreams she had exchanged her vows with him, in dreams she had made love to him, in dreams she had bore his children, in dreams she lived her life with him. In dreams where she had never lost him. Before she knew it she had started sobbing over and over again, unable to answer the questions thrown at her. The next thing she knew she was in her mother's arms like a weeping child.

Nights have passed she was motionless and quiet. Her friends had tried to visit her but she did not budge. She could not pay attention, she could not pick up the pieces that had been broken.

One night, she had opened one of her trunks belongings they both shared and exchanged. They had their disagreements, passion, and silly moments when she had given him a haircut during their trip. She looked at the the lock of hair braided together of his and hers. Reminiscing had made her hurt again, she feels and remember the coolness of Dreadfort embracing her.

Her hands feeling the textures of the pages of the book, she touched the rim and had felt paper slid in it. Her heart beats fast as she started to read it.

My love,

When you read this I had hoped years have already passed. I've written this after my knighting. I wanted to have a note remembering your favor. The day I promised to win your hand in marriage in the tourney. If this letter is in your possession, then it means we have finally wedded. I wanted you to know the many nights I go on wanting to have you in my arms.

I did not want to send you a raven then because I wanted my actions to speak loudly than any word that could be expressed in a letter. I wanted you to see that only results I bring are what matters the most.

Whether I win or lose this tourney, until my dying breath I shall love you and try and try again until I have won you.

With love,

Dom

Her tears could not stop from flowing out of her eyes. "You idiot, if you did not go there you would have been alive." She whispered. " I would have hit you now and told you, how you should have just told me, instead I was cold to you. Maybe the gods are real and had thought I did not deserve you." She said as if she was talking to him in between sobs.

She stood up and looked in front of her mirror, she had gotten thin and her eyes were deep and restless. She looked at herself, he had me at my best she had thought. She did not want anyone else, she knew she could not love again even if he had asked her to. She knew her family would find her a new match.

She looked for the shears in her drawers, she had snipped her long locks in front of her reflection, she snipped her hair above her jaw line. "No man nor lord would want to marry a ruined woman." She had thought out loud.

It was not long before Gael and her mother had found her in her chambers, with her locks chopped off and her sift had dirtied by the strands of her hair. Gael had placed her in the bath and scrubbed her. It turned out she was being summoned by her grandfather at his solar after she had been readied.

"Sweetling, you do not look so well." The voice of Oldtown had shown concern.

"Grandfather, I do not wish to be betrothed. I am not eligible, I have lost my maidenhood to Domeric." She had flatly replied.

He furrowed his eyebrows, "We do not have to worry about that for now, my dear. I have decided you should be sent to Sunspear, to learn more of the trade. Then afterwards you will live in Braavos for the meanwhile so you may recover from poor Domeric's death, it was a pity. I had liked the boy, accomplished that one." He had had sighed.

Rhone had looked at her grandfather surprised, "you are not crossed? I have ruined myself, drugged myself, and kept important details from you." She jad pointed out.

He chuckled and grinned at her, "And have you rebel? I have lost a few wives myself, Rhone. Adding salt to the wounds should not be the solution. I want you to heal before you become so sure of yourself. You are young and successful, I do not want your life wasted way. You will not mention of your maidenhood. Time is what you need, I understand." The old man wisely told her.

She did not expect such a reaction from the lord of Oldtown, she could not understand. She had expected to throw a fit but she had felt her grandfather was kind enough to show empathy towards her, "thank you grandfather." She had told him.

In a fortnight she was sent away to Dorne through the Red Mountains and off to Sunspear.


It was along five moons for House Hightower, Jon had seen Lady Rhone dragged away front Dreadfort. The white wolf did not have time to spend for his family, everything had turned into aan emergency. Domeric had given the baseborn boy the responsibility, Jon had thought those were big shoes to fill, the Hightower girl had not been one bit infatuated with him. Looking at the little light who was given sweet sleep to be taken to the port of White Harbor immediately, he knew the pieces of her couldn't be placed back together. Lady Dustin had thought it would be better that there were things kept by the little light that belonged to Domeric, a trunk full of it.

A fortnight later after returning to Hightower everyone was high on their guard, until the one night Lady Rhome had access to sweet sleep and the essence of the evening as said by Lady Malora, she had left him to watch over Rhone. As the mas maid had to fetch her personal stashes of potions and antidotes.

He had looked at the peaceful sleeping face of the little light, dhe had looked more emotionally stabled this way.

"Mm…" she stirred he held her hand.

"Lady Rhone.." he called out to her she had grabbed him and pulled him closer as their lips touched. She had kissed him passionately which had to stop even a part of him wanted to return it, he did not want to have her like this. She had released her arms off him. He had placed his hands her shoulders, "Rhone, Rhone," he had called out again and again.

The mad maid had arrived with Ser Baelor, Lady Rhonda and Gael. As the eerie woman had gave the little light the antidote to sweetsleep, she had suddenly thrown hysterics in her sleep. Lady Rhonda had sobbed in her knight husband's arms. When the little light had grown conscious her eyes were filled with apathy as if she did not want to wake from her deep sleep. She did not even argue with her aunt as she would regularly have done.

When the mad maid had left Lady Rhonda and Ser Baelor had approached their daughter as she wept into her mother's arms. After this incident she had locked herself in her chambers, weeping and when she came out her hair was chopped off.

In over a fortnight she had been sent to Sunspear accompanied by the Hightower twins. Jon had been summoned to Lord Leyton's solar. He had found himself there often when he was at Hightower always asking him about his training progress or if he had been treated nicely.

The conversation had seemed uneventful at first, "Jon we will have you knighted in a fortnight." The old man had suddenly informed the northern baseborn boy.

"You are turning ten and five soon, and closing to the age of a good age to be wed." Jon's heart had beaten fast at each word. "I had sent word to your father an offer to wed you to Rhone when you turn ten and six. It should be enough time for her wounds to heal. I hope you could take good care of her, boy." He had told the white wolf.

"This is a lot to take in, Lord Leyton. I want you to know I am grateful for everything you had done for me, but I do not think I am worthy of her. I have no doubts that I would learn to love her like my lord father has to lady Stark. But does Lady Rhone know about this?" He had felt he needed confirmation, the little light had been especially high strong these past moons.

"Not now, you will fetch her from Sunspear in a few moons accompanied by Baelor of course. You will both take her to Braavos and there she will know. It is best we keep her from this for now. It will be less trouble for is to wed her to a trusted knight while still ensuring an alliance." The old man had explained. "Domeric was the chance I had given her to fulfill her happiness, but the Gods were not with us with that decision. If I do not arrange this for her, I'm afraid she will go to waste. Most of Westeros knows about how her betrothal was arranged for love, perhaps my mistake was letting them wait." The old man had sighed heavily. Jon had thought what happened was nobody's fault but that Bolton bastard's.

"I-I will do my best, Lord Leyton. I had also sworn to Domeric that I will do my best to keep your granddaughter happy. It will not be easy but I will thrive." He had told the Lord of Oldtown.

"I trust that you will, dear boy." Lord Leyton had grinned at the boy.


Rhone had been away from home for almost a moon, Princess Arianne and her cousins had brought the little light to the water gardens, they had enjoyed her company since she had often drawn pictures of them. It had helped her think about other things. But Domeric still doesn't leave her mind every night.

Dornish women are very free spirited and experimental, The little light had admired them. Rhone and Princess Arianne had gotten along pretty well, they had been playfully intimate with Tyene for sometime, when they were not enjoying her brothers to her discomfort.

One night in Sunspear, she had been drinking Dornish wine by the beach since late afternoon, she had gotten herself drunk rereading the books of lost books using the braided locks of hair as her bookmark, she closed the book and lied down on the sand. She looked at the stars, the skies were so similar that night at the Godswood with Domeric, she sighed heavily as she had felt the grains through her fingers and toes.

"It is dangerous for a lady to be left unaccompanied in the evening" she had heard a masculine voice with a thick dornish accent.

She was too drunk to even care, " forgive me Prince Oberyn, I am too drunk to be polite tonight, I'm afraid there are many things I did not inherit from my father."she had explained.

She had heard him chuckle. "I remember the first time I met your father, he was my sister's best suitor. Until he had farted in front of us Elia could not look at him seriously again." He had shared.

"Father had always been the comedic type." She had commented.

"When I look back, he would have been a better match for Elia, then we could have easily look passed that incident compared to what Rhaegar had done. Perhaps Elia would have been alive" he had regret in his voice.

She had felt slightly uncomfortable "I probably wouldn't exist either if they had gotten together." She insolently slurred. "But yes, my father would never leave my mother for another woman." She had added as she sat down and gulped down the bottle of dornish wine and offered some to the red viper.

He took the bottle and drank some of it "I did not mean to insult your existence, my lady. But you are right, your brilliance would not be seen in this world, or you would have been my niece." He had tried to save the conversation.

"I understand, you miss your sister Prince Oberyn, but there are things we cannot take back just by imagining how things could have been. Sometimes we have to attempt to move on and avoid the same mistakes." She had bluntly said.

"Such wise words from such a young woman. You have lost your betrothed, the northern boy who had won you from a tourney?" He had asked by Domeric which had left a pang in her heart.

"I prefer and try not to talk about it anymore. I had promised him to feel not so bitter or angered. But just the mention of it makes me want to avenge him knowing hid killer is still on the loose." She had frowned.

"I feel the same way about Elia and her children." The Dornish prince had sympathized.

She had taken the bottle from him and finished it. "Wars are always started for foolish things. The thirst for greed and power, they are all concoctions that equate to a fool's show. And the innocent will always be its victim." She had rambled. "I am sorry I am rambling I must return to my chambers now." She took her book and had stood up wobbling.

The red viper had held her waist to balance her. She had held onto him unconsciously, her half back pressed onto his chest. "I-I can manage.." she had stubbornly pushed herself to walk on her own. Stumbling close to a tree on the path going back to the fortress.

He took her in his arms their faces were inches away from each other. His lips gently pressed on hers, she was reluctant at first when his tongue urged to dance with hers. Eventually she had returned it as she was pressed against a tree.

His body kept hers heated, her chest was stuck to his. He had started to lift her legs, it was a thrill she had not felt for the longest time. She had dropped her book as her fingers stroked his jaw.

The cold breeze had gone to her shoulders when the red viper was ravishing her neck, she had felt his hardness against her. She had thought she was not ready to do this with a man. She was not ready to forget Domeric's touch and his warmth.

"I-I'm s-sorry I cannot do this.." she had sobered with tiger eyes. Prince Oberyn had released her, "Is there anything wrong, my lady did I hurt you?" He had asked her concerned.

She picked up her book and checked if the bookmark was still there, which it was. She embraced the book, "No, I am just not ready for this.. I apologize if I had led you on, Prince Oberyn." She had functioned on adrenaline and returned to her chambers.

She had taken a bath and changed into her nightgown. She lied down and cried herself to sleep as she had realized she still could not move on from her beloved.

"I'm sorry.. I could not let go, Everything still reminds me of you." She sobbed.