Ashara Dayne

Winterfell, North, Year 281 AC

Ashara woke up quite late in the morning…it was not usual for her to sleep until past midday but she had been quite tired when she went to bed in the day before and said bed was so cozy and warm that she couldn't resist it.

Ned told her a few times about the hot springs that ran beneath Winterfell and warmed the castle, yet in her naivety, she didn't quite think it would be this warm…

She had to admit that Winterfell did nothing but amaze her, and she had arrived a day ago! To begin, it was a huge castle, smaller than Harrenhal but certainly bigger than all the other castles she saw in her life.

Then there was the deep snow that covered its large and ancient grey walls all white, it was a beautiful sight for someone whose first memories of snow came in these past three moons of traveling.

The people in the castle were quite nice to her, even with her being southern and Dornish…She didn't quite know if it was because of her beauty or because the Starks seemed happy with her amongst them or if they were just nice and kind people, but what she knew for certain, was that it was a pleasant change from the airs of the Red Keep and Harrenhal.

And of course, she was very excited because Lord Stark allowed for her marriage with Ned and now she couldn't wait for it to happen. Maybe that was adding more feels to her…

If she were to return to her three moons prior self and explain to her that she was marrying for love very soon, she was quite sure that she would have been mocked by said past self.

She came a long way from a woman disappointed with men, to a woman that was in love and now a woman that wanted to marry as fast as possible…life does take some interesting turns sometimes…

She was quite thankful for Brandon's stupid plan as Ned called it. No doubt that the plan was stupid and she didn't like the fact that Lord Stark thought that sweet Ned had taken her maidenhead but nevertheless she appreciated the older Stark for helping them.

She noticed that she was sweating quite a lot…it was far too hot in that room for her…the solution was, of course, to open the windows and let some fresh air inside the room. Gods who would have known she would be this hot in the cold North…

When the cold breeze entered the room, she couldn't help but notice the endless weirwood trees that filled Winterfell's gigantic Godswood.

She had seen her fair share of Godswoods here and there throughout her life with the one striking her the most being, of course, the Godswood in Starfall.

House Dayne converted to the Faint peaceful during the Andal Invasions to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, but they did not eradicate the traces of their former belief at all, they preserved them in order to allow future generations to see their origins and so the Godswood survived until this day.

Her mother used to take her and her brothers there in hot Summer days as there were plenty of cool areas inside it so they would just remain there sleeping until the night came. Sometimes her mother would tell them stories and legends whilst braiding her hair in foreign styles…

Starfall's Godswood was also quite large, with multiple small streams of water running on their way to the Torentine, the colorful birds that sung beautiful songs and small animals that roamed inside the sacred place contributed to Ashara's fond memories of Godswoods.

But she saw no birds or animals inside Winterfell's Godswood at all. One could assume it was a dead place, yet it certainly wasn't, far from such thing, it felt…godlike…The whole scenery made Ashara feel as if she somehow was connecting to the Old Gods themselves…the silence was surreal…the smell of moss and pine enjoyable…

Ashara had been raised since a young child in the Faint but as she grew older she gradually lost interest in religion, she knew the prays she was supposed to and occasionally she made use of this knowledge to pray for important things for her such as giving Elia strength to survive Rhaenys' pregnancy or for Queen Rhaella to be free of her brother's cruelty. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't, just like everything in life.

She felt no connection to the Seven unlike in just a minute or two of staring at weirwoods…Could it be because she had First Men blood running through her?

A quick glance below her window made her notice hot steam emerging from a big pond of water below, the open aired hot spring Ned told her about a few days ago…Ashara loved water, to take baths in rivers, lakes, water in general, she would definitely take a bath in there before leaving to Dragonstone…it was a must really…

A knock on the door made her stop salivating for a bath in the hot spring and proceed to see who it was. As she peeked through the door, she quickly smiled, it was, of course, her Ned.

"Hello," he said with a smile, while she opened the door more. "Did my Shining Star sleep well?"

"Oh quite well I did, my sweet Quiet Wolf," she replied. "It was such a comfortable bed and room that I overslept…"

"Thank the Gods it was just that, then…" Ned murmured, as he entered inside and she closed the door to begin dressing. "We were all rather worried for you, it's well past midday and you didn't show up…"

"You shouldn't worry so much," she explained to him while patting his cheek. "I'm not going to run away from you."

"That didn't really come to my mind…" Ned said while she noticed him getting a bit afraid, surely she scared him now… "I…I have been wondering, will your father approve the match? I mean we have been so concerned with my father that we forgot yours and from what you told me of him I…" So this is why you are afraid…

"He will not oppose," she assured him while dressing her undergown, the first of many layers of clothes needed in the North. "He will be quite surprised at receiving such proposal for my hand and…happy in his own way, I will cease to be a headache to him." she was now dressing a big gown and preparing the endless cloaks of furs. "He will be much more concerned with the value of the dowry he is supposed to pay your family because he hates losing money."

"I see…" Ned muttered. "Maybe I can convince my father on not asking too much money for your dowry, I'm the second son, so…"

"Let's talk about something else, shall we?" she questioned while finishing dressing. "I'm quite hungry, my wolf, is there something a Dornishwoman can eat?"

"Sure, the servants can prepare you something to eat." Ned told her.

"Then let us go."

She followed him into the Great Keep when she noticed two armored men fighting each other in the courtyard, while both Brandon and Winterfell's Master at Arms watched amused.

"Who are they?" Asked her curious self.

"The one in the right is Benjen and the one on the left is Lyanna."

"Lyanna?" she asked surprised. "Did your father allow for her to fight?"

"I did not Lady Dayne." Both she and Ned jumped at the sight of Lord Stark glancing at them from the bridge that connected two buildings. "But I can hardly control my sweet troublemaker."

"Father…" Ned murmured with a nod.

"Ned." Lord Stark acknowledged with a nod. "Lady Dayne, would you mind joining me in the Great Hall for a little conversation?"

Why? "Must certainly My Lord."

"Father is…" Ned began.

"Worry not Ned, she will be free in no time, I just want to talk about some things concerning your marriage."

Ned looked at her concerned, but she smiled at him. "It will be alright Ned," she assured him. "Also…before I leave for Dragonstone I would like to have a bath in those hot springs in the Godswood…with your company of course."

He chuckled a bit. "I think it's a good idea."

"Of course it is!" she retorted. "Could you prepare everything?"

"I…will try."

"Then I mustn't make your father wait, see you later dearest Ned."

She asked a servant to lead her to Lord Stark's office inside the Great Hall as she didn't quite know the way yet, as she entered the big room, she found Lord Stark already seated in a very big and dark oak chair, glancing her with judging eyes.

"My Lord is something amiss?" she asked, rather concerned as to why Ned's father called for her.

"Is it?" he countered.

Mind games…she knew how to play these. "I assume My Lord has something important to talk with me?"

"Yes, I would like to know a bit more about you Lady Dayne." Lord Stark said with a serious face. "Your beauty is well renowned throughout the Seven Kingdoms, as is your position as Princess Elia's lady-in-waiting."

"I'm flattered with such words My Lord…"

"Enough playing around." Lord Stark said, making her shake a bit. "I know you are quite acquainted with this type of talks in the Red Keep, but I want truthfulness from My Lady's part."

She remained quiet, though he looked like Ned, he was certainly not him at all. "What does My Lord wish from me then?"

"Did you seduced my son with second intentions?"

So this is what this is about… "My Lord I did not seduce him or him me, we fell in love," she assured. "I did not wish to marry Ned for anything other than himself."

"A woman such as yourself fell in love with my son in just the ten days of the tourney?" Lord Stark insisted. "It seems a bit off to say the least…"

"It's not a bit off My Lord." she insisted too. "I have been looking for a sweet and kind man who loved me for more than my beauty, a man I could call both a husband and a lover. Your son is that man My Lord, that's why I love him."

"You do love him it seems." Lord Stark admitted. "But he was not your first lover was he?"

She sighed before confessing. "No…he wasn't My Lord, I truly wish he was because otherwise, I wouldn't have suffered disappointments. I do wish for him to be the last one though because I love him above the others."

Lord Stark kept glancing at her with a judging look but finally sighed. "Ned laid with you twice during Harrenhal?"

"Yes."

"So it seems not all of what Brandon said was a lie…" Lord Stark sighed too. "I appreciate your honesty Lady Dayne, it takes a lot of courage to admit what you just did, knowing I could stop the marriage at any time."

"And will My Lord do that?" she asked shaken, scared of the prospect.

"No, I won't and I wouldn't." Lord Stark assured. "I don't back down on my word nor could I have stopped the raven that I sent yesterday, I just wanted to get to know you better." he further explained. "Though I will admit that My Lady is not what I envisioned for my son."

"I'm sure I'm a disappointment but…"

"You are not a disappointment Lady Dayne." he interrupted her. "I appreciate the way you treat my son and his siblings, I noticed them all happy around you and that's certainly good." Lord Stark said smiling. "You remind me of my late Lyarra, you have a lot of her in you, I'm sure Ned will be happy with you by his side."

"Thank you for the kind words, My Lord," she said. "They mean a lot to me."

"I welcome you to my family with open arms Lady Dayne and I hope what you and my son feel for each other remains for a long while."

"It will Lord Stark," she assured with a nod.

"Now go on and eat something My Lady," Lord Stark suggested. "You must be starving."

"I am My Lord, with your permission."

"Permission granted, have a good and happy meal, Lady Dayne."

She nodded in respect and exit to eat something, quite happily.

Later that day…In the Godswood…near the hot spring…

"My father does value honesty," Ned said after she explained to him what the talk with his father was. "I'm glad he didn't cancel it."

"Me too," she confessed whilst undressing in front of Ned and then diving in the hot waters, feeling warm and refreshment throughout her whole body, she loved it. She swam around underwater as if she was a fish, having the time of her life.

As she resurfaced to catch some air, she noticed Ned still dressed, looking at her with his mouth open and smiled at him. "Are you seriously going to just stare at me the whole night?"

"I could…"

"Then I want to stare at you too…" she teased. "It's not fair me being the only one naked…undress now!"

"As My Lady commands…" With that said, he undressed in front of her, joining her not long after in the water, embracing her. "Is My Lady is happy now?"

"Oh yes she is…" she went in for a kiss, which he accepted, but when she moved to something else, he stopped her with his hand. "Is there a problem Ned?"

"I…want to wait for our marriage if it's okay with you…" he explained. "I don't want to do it now…"

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"It's just the look my father gave when Brandon and I talked with him yesterday, he was disappointed with me…" he confessed. "I don't really regret what I did with you, but the look he gave me, it made me feel bad…"

Ned was one of those people who deeply cared for the wellbeing of the others and such reaction from seeing his father disappointed at him was to be expected. It also made her feel bad with herself because she was the one who caused all this…she decided to respect his wish, they had sex twice at Harrenhal, the third time could wait until they were married.

"It's okay my sweet Quiet Wolf, I understand it," she said. "I think it will make our third time much more enjoyable and somehow strengthen our relationship."

"I'm glad you understand my point…"

She kissed once more. "Of course I understand, just kisses and hugs now."

"Maybe…something more…" he said with a grin.

"What more?" she asked and he threw water at her face. "Oh, that's your play Quiet Wolf? I'm going to show you why they called me the terror of the Water Gardens!" Well…there was a human being even more troublesome than her in the Water Gardens, he was called the nightmare of the Water Gardens, but she was a terror herself.

After minutes of messing around with the water, diving, swimming, kisses and hugs, they were tired, they lean their backs to the grass outside the pond and began glancing the stars.

"How do you think our children will look like?" she questioned curiously.

He looked at her quite surprised. "You are thinking about having children already?"

"Not right away of course." she quickly replied. "I want us to have some time for each other after we get married. But afterward, I wouldn't mind a boy with violet eyes and a girl with grey ones."

"As long as they take it after you, I'm fine with their coloring."

"You and your low self-esteem," she said rolling her eyes. "I wouldn't mind seeing a little Ned amongst my litter…"

"Litter?" Ned laughed at her choice of word and she did too. "I guess one wouldn't hurt…"

"More than one!" she retorted. "Don't you want an army of little Neds to scare your brother?"

"Scare Brandon…that certainly sounds interesting…"

"How would you name them?" she asked curiously.

"I think it's a bit early for that, Shining Star."

"It's not!" she barked at him. "I want to see if you have good taste or not. Tell me three male names and three female ones."

"I never gave it much thought actually…" Ned confessed. "Hum…I guess…Jon could be one, just as Robert and perhaps Brandon for boys…and Sansa, Arya, and Lyarra for girls, yeah that's it, those are my choices."

"Robert? Seriously?" she asked rolling her eyes. Of course, he wanted a Robert…

"What about it?" Ned asked with a raised eyebrow. "He said he would name a son after me…he is my best friend after all, so why not?"

"Okay, okay…" she gave up. "I would like an Arthur, an Ulrick and a Jason for boys and an Elia, an Elayna and a Dyanna. Yes, I like these, what do you think of them?"

"Ulrick Stark? Jason Stark?" he questioned. "I don't know…they sound a bit too southern…"

"As if Robert didn't sound southern…" she scoffed. "Or Jon."

"Well Robert is indeed a southern name," he admitted. "But Jon isn't."

"It isn't?"

"No, there have been three Kings of Winter named Jon, the most famous was the second one, who built the Wolf's Den in White Harbor after kicking some foreign invaders from the North's shores," he explained. "I believe other Starks Kings and Lord Paramount did have Jon Starks as their sons."

"You are always learning…" she confessed. "I thought it was because of your mentor Lord Arryn."

"And you are right too," Ned said with a smile. "I think it's fitting for me to name a son in my foster father's memory."

"I like your names…"

"I'm glad I have some taste."

"You do, you passed the test pretty wonderfully…" she admitted.

"Should we leave before it gets too late?"

"Just a while longer," she begged of him. "Let us see the stars together a bit longer and enjoy each other's companies because it's going to be quite a few moons until we can do it again."

"Giving it a little bit more thought, I think we should."

Elia Martell

Dragonstone, Narrow Sea, Year 281 AC

"Oh my sweetheart!" Elia said as she picked her beautiful daughter up from the wetnurse's hands. "You have grown quite a lot, haven't you? And quite heavy as well!"

Her baby was still too young to properly reply to such questions, but Elia did not care, the little girl had so many years ahead of her that if she said no words at that moment, it wouldn't matter.

Rhaenys had a very dark shade of violet eyes that almost looked like Elia's black ones, she had a skin of a shade a little lighter than Elia's and yet not fair enough as the northerners, especially the Valyrians. She had black hair like Elia's, but with a few strands of silver-golden hair proving her to have Targaryen lineage.

But all this meant nothing to the Mad King, she still smelled Dornish…

Elia noticed the big smile that her sweet daughter had in her tiny face as she made her fly in her hands and smiled too.

"You like to fly, don't you little one?" Elia cooed as her baby giggled. She then turned to the wetnurses in hopes of knowing something. "Has she begin to walk?"

"She has Your Grace." One of them replied. "But she can't yet control her tiny feet properly so she falls to the ground."

Elia laughed at her daughter's struggling, she too struggled quite a lot when she was a baby herself, luckily Rhaenys wasn't a premature baby like her and as such she wouldn't suffer from Elia's constraints and that was already a victory on itself.

"You still have time sweetheart," Elia instructed to the smiling baby. "Take your time because nothing can be done quickly and properly."

"Ba-le-ron!" Rhaenys stammered with a smile.

"Ba-leron?" Elia asked with a raised eyebrow at the wetnurses.

"The little Princess has grown attached to the little kitten that Queen Rhaella gave her, My Princess..." The wetnurse replied. Of course, how could she have forgotten Balerion the black kitten?

"Oh did she?" Elia remarked while pinching her daughter's tiny nose making the girl giggle. "My little daughter is a dragon rider now! Flying with Balerion the Black Dread!"

"Ba-leron!" Rhaenys muttered again as Elia made her fly in her hands some more.

"Has Rhaegar visit her?" Elia asked the wetnurses.

"N-no My Princess…"

She thought as much…they arrived yesterday at night, they were all tired from sailing and they didn't want to risk waking Rhaenys up, yet Rhaegar closed himself on his room and did not leave it yet…maybe he was thinking on how to fix the mess he made? She was certainly interested in hearing his plans now.

"I'm sure he will come on soon…" she murmured. "Has there been any problems with her?"

"No, My Princess, she has been acting like a healthy baby of her age, nothing too serious that should concern you."

"I'm glad," Elia confessed. "If any of you need anything just ask for me, okay? I will be taking a little walk along the castle."

"Certainly My Princess."

She planted a big kiss on her daughter's forehead and placed her back in the nursery. "Mommy will see you later love."

"Mo…" Rhaenys squealed, maybe a few more weeks and Rhaenys would be calling her mother…She was certainly excited for that moment so she smiled a bit more to her and then left the room, meeting her ladies-in-waiting outside.

"How was Rhaenys the Darling?" Ynys asked.

"Quite well, speaking a few words and walking already."

"What words is she speaking?" Jasline inquired curiously. "Mommy, mother?"

"Balerion…" she confessed, whilst trying to hide a smile. "As in Balerion the kitten…"

They looked at her surprised before breaking down in laughter. "Balerion the kitten…" Jasline muttered between laughs.

"Little Rhaenys is adorable." Said Nysah.

"She is." Elia agreed. "I'm in a mood for a walk to Aegon's Garden shall we go?"

"Let's go indeed." Said Ynys. "Do you girls think the gardeners have taken care of it while we were away?"

"I hope so!" Jasline said. "Otherwise we need new gardeners."

"But then they would need to be Reachmen from Highgarden, as they are none better than them with flowers." Ynys said.

"Expensive ones as well," Jasline added. "We should drain the treasury."

Thank you for sparing time reading and hopefully, everyone has a nice day.