Eddard Stark
Harrenhal, Riverlands, Year 281 AC
"You should really have entered the jousts little brother, I'm sure you would be in the finals as well, perhaps we could even have a Stark duel in the final…" Brandon commented as he, Ned, Ben, and Howland took breakfast in the fifth day. "I would let you win, little brother…so you could…crown your Queen of Love and Beauty…"
Ned looked at him with a serious face. It was still tormenting him, Ashara and her spies… "Shame I'm not competing then, now you can have all the glory for yourself."
Brandon must have noticed the heavy faces of all of them… "Why am I having breakfast with two Neds and one even broodier Ned today?"
They all looked at him with serious faces and then returned to their eating like if Brandon didn't deserve any importance.
"Now, I'm seriously starting to get worried," Brandon said as he turned serious as well. "What in Seven Hells happen to all of you and why hasn't Lya joining us for breakfast? Is she still feeling sick because…because of her moon blood?"
"Lya is the Knight of the Laughing Tree." Ben murmured and both Ned and Howland turned to him ready to eat him alive. Now we are fucked…
"Now you are joking! It took a while!" Brandon said laughing until he noticed that both Ned and Howland weren't laughing with him. "It's not a jape…" Ned was cursing himself for being the worst possible liar alive and Howland was most likely doing the same..."Lyanna is…the Knight of the Fucking Laughing Tree…"
"Before you freak out, everything was already fixed." Ned quickly said in hopes to avoid his brother's outburst, seeing the anger build up. "She did what she did and the Knight of the Laughing Tree will not appear again."
"I have half a mine to teach that little troublemaker!" Brandon ranted. "She is not a fucking knight, why the fuck did she do this shit!"
"Brandon!" Ned shouted. "She learned her lesson already, I ranted her yesterday!"
"The King wants her fucking head for fuck sake!" Brandon hissed. "Tell me you are not worried about it!"
"I am!" Ned confessed. "But the King will not find it's her and so she won't lose her head." Ned explained. Ashara and the Crown Prince assured them that the King wouldn't be informed, but still…
"You are far too soft on her, she will never learn this way!" Brandon continued pissed and saying nonsense.
"And what will you do, beat her? Make her run away?" Ned inquired pissed as well. "Forget it Brandon, she got the ranting she deserved and if you rant her more, you will make more unnecessary fuss and attract unwanted attention!"
"Fine!" Brandon said as he got up and made his way to the entrance of the tent. "But if this shit brings us more trouble, I swear to you, Ned she will be having no more thoughts of being a knight!" and with that said he left the tent.
"Fuck me!" Ned cursed. "Everything is going against me now!"
"We can't let ourselves sink in despair Lord Eddard." Howland wisely said, yet easier to say than do.
"Howland is right…" Ben agreed.
"Couldn't you keep it to yourself, Ben?" Ned asked indignantly. "You just had to tell what happened, to the most unpredictable of us! Great job!"
"I'm sorry…I…"
"Forget about it…" Ned quickly dismissed, seeing his brother almost breaking into tears. "Just…just keep an eye on her."
"I will." Benjen replied still saddened.
"Howland, I ask you to stay with them as well, I know I'm probably abusing your kindness but..."
"Far from it Lord Eddard, you Starks have been nothing but good to me, it's the least I can do." Howland dismissed. "You should go see Lady Ashara and fix things with her before you go mad…"
"I…"
"Come on, Lord Eddard, you like the lady and you know her explanation had fundaments and that you can't really blame her." Howland explained.
"I can't…" Ned agreed, she had spies to protect her loved ones, but still, spies are not honorable, but her cause was honorable…Gods, I'm truly going mad… "I will go meet her…I must…"
"As you should Lord Eddard, I will keep an eye on them for you," Howland said with a smile. "You can go without worries."
"Thank you Howland," he said before turning to Benjen and clapping him in the shoulder. "Don't let this affect you, but please, for Gods sake do something to control your big mouth, brother."
"I will, I promise," Ben replied. "I'm sorry Ned…"
"And I'm sorry for ranting you this way." Ned apologized as well.
"No…you did the right thing," Benjen confessed signing. "We…must learn from our mistakes…"
"We do, that's what makes us stronger." Ned said.
"I will get stronger."
"I know you will."
As he exited the tent, his thoughts returned…What to think of all of it? He actually didn't know…Lyanna doing that stupidity, yes it was a noble cause, but stupid all the same, finding that Ashara had spies, knowing that the Prince could at any moment betray them even if Ashara said otherwise, Brandon now being pissed and making a bloody fuss…Gods!
He too was becoming paranoid…thinking that every single person he saw could be a spy, not just Ashara's but someone else's…She said she didn't spy on him but what if all their talks were nothing but a mummer's show?
He didn't confess his love to her yet, he was gathering the courage to do so but now this? He didn't know if he could trust her anymore…but he still loved her…he couldn't deny that…
Finally, he arrived at the stables, inside the castle walls. Since it was early in the morning and no jousts or any big competitions that involved horses were taking place on that day, it was rather uncrowded, peaceful and as quiet as a stable could be anyway…
He took the chance to pat his horse, Brooding since he rarely had the opportunity to do so since he arrived…he had to watch his siblings and he fell in love, this was keeping him busy enough to almost forget his own trusty horse.
Brooding had been a gift from Brandon on his sixteenth namesday, to celebrate his coming of age. It was a copper brown charger with black mane and tail and it once belonged to House Dustin's herds, he wasn't too wild like Brandon's but he was fast and strong.
"A very nice horse you have there."
He turned behind at the sound of her voice to see her behind him, smiling a sad smile as she approached his side and…she was so beautiful…truly…
She had laced her hair in a large braid, she had breeches like those Lyanna loved to wear, instead of the fine dresses he had seen her with, in the previous days, it had various shades blue and gray, a little neckless with her sigil in her neck…Ned was certainly surprised to see her like that, but he also able to confirm his theory that Ashara looked gorgeous in any type of costume…not just dresses.
"Brandon gave it to me when I made sixteen namesdays," he replied, admiring the sight of her, it seemed that him being pissed with her, just somehow made her more attractive than what she already was. "He called it Brooding."
"Brooding?" she giggled. "A fitting name I suppose…"
"Perhaps…" he smiled as well.
"I thought perhaps Brooding, could go for a ride today…" she suggested, once more surprising him.
"A ride?" he inquired with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes, he and Starlight…" she further explained.
"Starlight?" he asked confused.
"Yes," she replied. "It might seem strange, but I also received him from Arthur when I became sixteen and it was him and the girls who named him that…Though he is no charger like yours, but a noble sand steed."
"Starlight…" he laughed. "A fitting name…"
She looked at him a bit seriously, before laughing as well. "Perhaps…" she said between laughs. "Do you accept or not?"
"A ride?" he inquired.
"Yes, you dummy!" she barked with a smile.
"And to where?" he asked.
"Everywhere and nowhere."
"And where is that supposed to be?" he asked, joining her charades.
"Everywhere and nowhere, where else could it be?" she explained sarcastically. "You will have to find out."
He really didn't want to bring the topic of spies as it would mean they would probably end in discussions and that was something he didn't want… "Alright, let's ride then." he finally replied.
"Great!" she said much happier than what she was before, she had that very beautiful smile he adored and honestly he felt worse than shit for his outburst yesterday, spies or no spies she was still a wonderful person to be around with. "I'm going to fetch Starlight so we can be on our way."
"Of course." he said with a smile. No matter how hard he could try to hate her…he couldn't do it anyway.
Ashara Dayne
Harrenhal, Riverlands, Year 281 AC
She didn't expect it to be like this, that's for sure…she had conceived this plan a few days ago, to explained Ned on how she felt towards him and how she was not a maiden anymore…
She wasn't expecting that mysterious knight that appeared at the betting matches at the end of the previous day to be Lyanna of all people…she was certainly impressed with Lyanna's skill, she wouldn't beat her brother, or Rhaegar or Oswell or Ser Barristan of course but she did prove to a good jouster.
Of course she understood why Ned got so pissed at her, but he had to understand her position in King's Landing. Somehow, she almost had her heart shattered yesterday when he was angry at her…but she also knew that after confessing her sins to him, she would indeed lose him…such an honorable man wouldn't like a soiled woman like her anyway…
After everything happened yesterday, she was confronted by Elia who quickly noted that she was not well, demanding an explanation. She told her everything, Elia knew how to keep secrets anyway…
"My dear Ash, I'm sure your dearest Ned will forgive you, from everything you told me about him, I know he will." Elia had said as she comforted her.
"But…What will he say when I tell him that I'm not a maiden anymore? I'm sure he will rebuke me like many did when they found out? And the worst is that I really like him, that's why I'm so concerned..." she confessed. "It was never a problem when men wanted to bed me but I want more than just bedding with Ned…I want…I want to build something with him…"
"Just do as you planned and everything will work out, my dear." Elia said as she patted Ashara's cheek.
"What if he doesn't go? What if he hates me so much that…"
"Ashara, you are not like this my dear friend. You are a strong woman who has lived through almost hell and survived so just have faint in you."
"But…"
"He will go, don't worry."
Elia was once again right…Ned did come to meet her at the stables just as she begged him too, she was so relieved to actually see him…and more relieved she became when he accepted her proposal to come and have a ride with her.
In what was left of the morning, they rode almost as far as Lord Harroway's Town, she challenged him to multiple horse races, even though sand steeds were known for their speed, he beat her by a large margin in each one, but she had to expect this, since he told her once that his siblings were always challenging him and they were like the wind on their horses. He did say she was looking more and more like Lyanna by the second…
To further ease the tension between them, she tried her best to make jokes and japes and to her surprise, he too joked and japed, it seemed it wasn't just her trying to fix things between them, as he too seemed to be trying…a rather good sign…
They had lunch near a small stream of water that most likely ran into the God's Eye, she had brought sandwiches, blood orange juice, and some lemon cakes she made. She was yet again surprised when he ate the lemon cakes like a possessed madman, blushing afterward, she laughed nonstop for quite a while…Who knew Ned was a fanatic for lemon cakes?
After the lunch, they returned to Harrenhal where they arrived just in time to see the most awaited of the troupes, the Clown and the Maid troupe. Their performance was about the Dance of Dragons with a dwarf man doing the role of Aegon the Second and dwarf woman playing Rhaenyra. Their jokes were well made but the story was rather overdone to her taste, besides, they would be in trouble if Aerys saw them making fun of Targaryens…
Sunset came quickly and made day turn to night, they were walking once again in the endless tent city outside the castle walls, like in their first meeting after they dancing…Their mood was good…
"Aren't you tired yet?" Ned suddenly asked with a smile.
"Me tired?" she asked. "I'm afraid you are speaking to the wrong woman…"
"If we keep going like this…" he began. "I might have you pushing me back to my tent…"
"So tired already?" she teased. "I thought you were stronger than this…"
"If being around my sister has thought me anything over the years…is that woman have more stamina than men." he confessed and she couldn't hide a laugh.
"You are the strangest man I ever met Ned…" she admitted and she wasn't lying, she never, ever found a man willing to go as far as he just did.
"I hope not to strange…" he said smiling.
"I have seen stranger men, I admit it."
"Listen…Ashara…" he murmured as they stop right at end of the tents, near the entrance to the castle walls. "I'm sorry…for my outburst yesterday…it was…it was ill done...you are protecting your loved ones with what means you got at your disposal…"
She felt another weight fly away from her back. "I'm glad you understood my position…I never intended for what happened yesterday to actually happen…I'm sure Lyanna was terrified…"
"She was and still is, she never thought that she would be branded a traitor for avenging a friend." Ned signed. "She always wanted to be a knight and when she managed to be one even if just for a while, they called for her head…"
"I'm truly sorry for her…I really am, but I assure you I will do everything in my power to avoid such fate for her, I promise."
"Can you really do that?" he asked.
"I can make sure the King never knows the identity of the Knight of the Laughing Tree if that's what are asking…" she murmured to his ear. "But…you and Lyanna must do your part as well and never revive him."
"I doubt she will try it, she got the message…"
"That's for the best." she said.
"It is." he agreed.
The moon lighted the sky now, both she and Ned were now seated in the shores of the God's Eye, side by side. She had much fun with him throughout the day, truly he was different than other men…he was her special one…
But…
"Ned…" she murmured.
"Yes?"
"I enjoyed this day, in your company." she confessed, why wouldn't she when she truly did?
"And I enjoyed mine in yours." he said, making her smile.
"There is something I have been meaning to tell you…for quite some time…I would like you to hear me till the very end of what I'm about to say, please." she demanded as she prepared for one of the hardest tasks of her life.
"Is something troubling you?" he asked worriedly. "Something I have done?"
"To some extent…yes…" she admitted. "I have to confess…" she signed in between… "The thing is that…I love you. Plain and simple." There…half of it done… "It wasn't love at first sight, but it was close to it."
"Ashara…" he tried to interrupt her but she led her finger to his lips.
"I said no interrupting please." she ranted, not in an angry tone. "And that's precisely why I must be honest with you, Ned…" she said as she gulped with the pressure she was feeling, she would definitely lose him…but she had to do it anyway… "I'm not a maiden." she finally said it, her curse, her downfall…she looked to her hands and then to the stars…hoping it would stop her from actually crying…
"I'm a soiled woman, I have laid with quite a few men already, and I thought you deserved to know as much, because…I know you love me too, from the way you look at me…and it would be unfair if I wasn't honest with you when you clearly have been more than honest with me." she paused for a bit, before finish everything she had to tell. "I know you probably hate me right now and want to curse me and spit on me, call me a whore and…"
He led his finger to her lips this time and caught her completely by surprise, so much she didn't even have time to close her mouth. "Ashara…" he quietly said. "Do you think I fell in love with your maidenhead?"
"What?" she didn't know what to say or think anyway…
"Because I didn't," he told her. "If I'm to be honest with you…I didn't have my hopes high on you being a maiden, because…you know…Dornish fame…" he blushed a bit as he said this, probably ashamed of insulting her people... "What I mean to say Ashara is…is…that I fell in love with you and not with your maidenhead."
"You don't hate me for being soiled? For having laid with men before?" she asked, still shaken by his words, tears forming in the corners of her eyes…
"Were you engaged when you lost your maidenhead or made love to those men?" he asked.
"No!" she quickly replied. "I was never betrothed to anyone…"
"Then how could I hate you?" he asked smiling. "I tried to hate you for yesterday…I felt betrayed and I know I was being unfair to you…but I still tried…and failed miserably…" he confessed. "Besides…you just made me the happiest man in all the Seven Kingdoms by telling me that you feel the same way I feel for you."
She felt her cheeks wet, she was crying heavily… The last time she cried was when her mother died…how could she be crying now? She had sworn that she wouldn't cry anymore, that she would be strong, but in the end, she was just a human being who felt emotions, and suppressing certain emotions…was just not possible. And her tears were from a different kind nevertheless…joy.
Ned was truly what she had dreamed of, the man who saw her for who she was and just her beauty or ability to bear children…It was so stupid how Elia's stupid theory, in the end, proved right, but she didn't care anymore… "Truly?" Was all she could say after all this.
"Truly," he replied smiling, feeling very emotional as well. "I love you, Ashara Dayne."
"Oh Ned…" she murmured before looking straight into his grey eyes, his plain looking face as he kept saying he had, but to her was the most beautiful thing, she wasn't going to hold back anymore, she grabbed his face and kissed in his lips with all her passion.
He was caught by surprise and almost lost his breath in the process, but soon calmed down and returned the kiss, as much as he could of course...His lips were rough but they were like many men's, but unlike other men's it felt genuine and unique.
When she finally separated their lips, he was still entranced with it. "Did it feel good?" she asked giggling. He merely nodded and so she led her palm to his cheek. "Was it your…first kiss?"
"Robert and Brandon tried many times…but…" Oh…I'm the first girl he kisses…
"Then I'm glad it was…" she confessed smiling. She would be his guide…it felt wonderful but…she wanted something more now…
"So…" he began confused. "What are we supposed to do now that we…openly admit our love?"
"I have an idea…my sweet Quiet Wolf..."
And there we have it, the confession.
I would like to thank once more for the support the story has been receiving and I hope everyone has a nice day.
