In the last hours before their departure, life in Sunspear had turned into a nigh on unbearable frenzy. Everyone was busy or trying to appear so, as the minor lords inspected their troops for the march and the servants ran about to fulfill their masters' biding. Almost two months of preparation had finally amounted to this last day of insanity.

It was in this seemingly endless chaos, where the young princess Rhaenys Targaryen moved about to see and be seen. She remembered her lessons from the past, where her uncles and teachers had taught her about Dorne and their way of war. Few in number, superior in strategy. Dorne was a dry land, filled with hardened people and the hardships of the past have never been forgotten, so no enemy could ever hope to take this land by force.

She supposed there was a certain irony in this fact. She herself was both a daughter of Dorne and the daughter of the one family who had succeeded in taking Dorne. Not by force, but with cunning and diplomacy. But still, she was a Targaryen, a foreign conqueror. Yet the Dornishmen loved her and would fight for her. Die for her. Others had already died for her. The war had already reached the Reach, her husband's home kingdom and the first battles have already come and passed, though without a victor.

"There are only few preparations left, your grace. The army will be ready to march west and meet up with your troops at Yronwood soon," She looked to her side, to see the man who had spoken. The blue eyes of Ser Barristan looked at her, a sadness in them that neither his voice nor his posture seemed to betray. It added to his mystery, one that puzzled her nearly every day she spent with him.

In the past he was a man she had trusted without second thought. A Kingsguard of her grandfather, a man her father had trusted with this life. Yet he had also served her enemies for more than a decade after her family's downfall. Could she trust him? Should she? Ser Jaime had vouched for him, despite the animosity between the two. He had called Ser Barristan one of the last truly honorable men in the Seven Kingdoms. One who would keep her safe. But was Jaime right or was he still thinking of a man he had once known and not the man who stood now before the princess, as her sworn guard and adviser?

"Then we will move out on the morrow. The sooner we reach the rest of our army, the sooner we can take the fight to the Usurper and free this kingdom from his inept rule," Rhaenys replied. It was a solemn vow she repeated so often, that she almost believed it herself. She was not allowed to show any hints of doubt about their victory. Her uncle Doran had been very adamant about this. Her men looked up to her, loved her even. She was their princess, their promise of a better future and the end of the constant strife in the Seven Kingdoms. That was also why she inspected the troops personally, accompanied by knights and her husband, Willas.

No other noble born daughter should go anywhere near a military camp. Her Septa had been most vocal against it, called it unladylike and improper. Even the fact that she now wore a light armor made of leather and coppery discs, only incensed the Septa further. Not that Rhaenys would have cared. She actually preferred this kind of clothing, as it was easier to move in and allowed her to train with her cousins whenever she had the time.

"I just hope that we won't be too late. Though Lord Tarly has managed to stop the Usurper's advance at the Mander, I don't even want to imagine what will happen once his reinforcements from the Riverlands arrive. The Reach is strong, but it cannot win alone against the combined might of three other kingdoms." Willas said worriedly. "And we have yet to see what the Stormlands will do. Though we have done everything in our power to assure that Lord Renly will remain neutral, we can never be sure. We are fighting against both his brothers, after all."

"And Lord Tywin? What will the Westerlands do?" Rhaenys asked.

"No one can say. Our spies have reported that Lord Tywin is none too fond or Robert Baratheon, because of the Usurper's involvement in young Joanna Lannister's death, but he might rejoin the fray, should Robert die and his son take the throne. Joffrey Baratheon is Lord Tywin's grandson and we all know how much the old lion has invested into seeing one of his grandchildren on the throne." Willas saw the brief flash of hurt and sadness on his wife's face, as he talked about the death of her surrogate sister. It was still a touchy subject for all of them, even months since her passing. But all he could do in this situation was offer Rhaenys a shoulder to cry on, whenever she needed it. War is cruel and he knew that she would most likely get many more reasons to grieve in the future.

"Tywin Lannister is an ambitious man, if there is one thing we know for sure, than it is that..." Ser Barristan started, but stopped mid sentence, when another argument suddenly got the princess' attention.

"... just listen to me. This was just an accident, it never should have happened, Nymeria!" They could see Obara and Nymeria, obviously at odds, as the daughters of Oberyn Martell stood outside of a stable. Rhaenys had no idea what they were arguing about, but it was rare to see them so at odds with each other.

"And you think I don't know that, Obara? It was my mistake, I will take responsibility."

"Don't become a liability, sister. Not now. I could go to the Maester and..."

"I will take care of that, once I have come to a decision. Now leave me in peace, I have to think." Nymeria huffed, before she pushed past her sister and towards the city. Obara left only moments later, in a different direction. Neither of the sisters had seen Rhaenys and her entourage.

"That was... strange." Rhaenys said cautiously. This scene had puzzled her quite a bit.

Willas was obviously just as confused. "I wonder what this was about." Rhaenys was aware that he did not know her cousins as well as he would like to, as the Sand Snakes had opted to keep him at a distance. She could only guess their reasons for that. Not even Rhaenys knew their reasons. But they were all very devoted to their little princess, so no one questioned their actions too much.

"Do you want me to find inquire what they were fighting about?" Ser Barristan asked, his gaze still following Obara, who was quickly leaving the area.

"No. I will do so later. They will surely answer me, when I ask them at dinner. We do not keep secrets from each other." Rhaenys was confident that they would reveal their reasons to her. It was true after all, they did share everything. Even more after Joanna's death. Especially Nymeria had become even closer to her, in an attempt to fill the gap the Lannister girl had left in Rhaenys' life.

The old knight merely nodded in understanding, but refrained from commenting the princess' statement. She was sure that his offer had not been purely for the her sake, but also to satisfy his own growing curiosity. He knew that he still had a long way to go, before the people in Dorne would trust him like they did trust each other. But he was a sworn knight and protector of the royal family, which right now only consisted of the princess next to him. And not knowing things made his job much more difficult. And those difficulties obviously worried him, greatly.

They continued on their way and finished their inspection quickly after this encounter. Much to Rhaenys satisfaction their troops would be ready to march soon. They would be able to leave with the first light of the new day. Finally she would be able to do more than sit back and watch.

On their way back to the Tower of the Sun, they passed some of the training fields. Most of them were abandoned now, with all the soldiers assembling and finishing their preparations for the march, but one was still filled with life and laughter.

"Ah, looks like the youngest of the Sand Snakes are trying to live up to their sisters' fame." Willas commented with a chuckle. There were several girls on the field, armed with blunt, wooden swords for training. They could clearly recognize that at least one of them was a daughter of Oberyn Martell. Elia, the most belligerent of Oberyn's daughters by his current paramour, Ellaria Sand, the bastard daughter of Lord Harmen Uller. But then they realized that the other girl was not a Sand Snake at all.

"That... is a most unorthodox way to handle prisoners, I have to say." Willas said, when he realized, that the other girl was in fact Arya Stark, the youngest daughter of one of Rhaenys' most dangerous enemies.

"By the gods, what fool has given this girl a weapon? Allow me, princess, I will amend this at once," Ser Barristan said, as he stepped forward to take the wooden weapon from Arya and to bring the girl back to the safe confines of her quarters. As an important political hostage the girl was treated somewhat better than others, but this was by no means the treatment she was supposed to receive.

"Wait," Rhaenys stopped the knight, her gaze lingering on the Stark girl. "Tell me, Ser Barristan, what do you think of Eddard Stark?"

"Your grace, I do know that he is an enemy of your family, but I have to admit that there are only few men in Westeros, who are more honorable than Eddard Stark. He went to war for his family, not because of petty grievances like the Usurper. And he has never wished for the death of your family. I have spoken to him a few times after the rebellion and from what others have told me, I know that he was horrified when he saw what had been done to your lady mother and brother. It had nearly ended his support of the Baratheons, when he saw the satisfaction on Robert Baratheon's face. At least that is what I've been told."

Rhaenys took some moments to digest this information. She had heard it before, of course. The fight between the northern lord and the new king had been obviously more than just a courtly rumor. And she knew that Ser Barristan was not a man who would lie to her about this, for he, too, was an honorable man. But all of this made it harder to steel her resolve to fight for justice until all those who had wronged her family are dead.

"One thing, Ser Barristan, what do you reckon Eddard Stark would have done, had it been him to find me and not Ser Jaime?" What would he have done? Sold her out to Robert Baratheon, so she would have died like her mother and brother had? The Usurper still is his best friend after all.

"I can only guess, your grace. But I believe that he would have kept you safe and would have ensured your survival. He is an honorable man and you are not to be judged for your father's actions. And judging by his reaction to your brother's murder, I believe that he would not have shied away from confronting the Usurper, should that man have ordered your death."

"I... see..." No, finding her resolve was not an easy task. But she needed it. She could not fight a war with doubts plaguing her mind. Maybe she should not have asked these questions. Ignorance is a bliss, but she also remembered something her father had told her shortly before his death, when she had complained about her lessons from the Maester. 'Ignorance is the blessing of the poor, knowledge the duty of kings.' She had not understood what he had meant back then, as she was only four at that time, but these days she understood it very well.

"Shall I take the girl back to her room now?" Ser Barristan asked again, but Rhaenys shook her head.

"No," The girl was the daughter of her enemy, but if Ser Barristan was right, she should abstain from any rash actions. She would not play the role of the villain, the Usurper wants her to be. And she was sure that her father would not have allowed for an innocent child to suffer either. "Let her be."

"Who is responsible for her?" Willas asked, as he looked at Rhaenys with a mix of surprise and approval.

"Edric Dayne, as far as I have been informed. He was the one who has captured her and he was tasked by Ser Jaime with keeping his eyes on the girl.

"Ser Barristan, hand me a training sword." Rhaenys said suddenly. Both men looked at her in surprise, unsure about what she was planning now. But Ser Barristan obeyed and walked over to a weapons' rack and fetched his princess one of the wooden weapons.

Rhaenys took the weapon eagerly and tested it with some swings. She had spent much of her free time training with Obara and Nymeria. Sometimes Ser Jaime would also teach her, though she had kept him extremely busy with the planing of her war. Even now he was with her uncle to discuss their next steps. But she quickly realized that this training sword was heavier than the one she had used before. And she had realized early in her training that she was more suited for fighting with a spear, like her oldest cousin. She still learned about using all kinds of weapons, so she would not be at disadvantage in most situations, but she was by no means skilled with swords yet.

Once she was satisfied with the feel of her weapon, she quickly walked over to the sparring girls. A smirk played on her lips. She would enjoy this small distraction and at the same time she would get another opinion to answer the questions that plagued her mind relentlessly.

Elia was the first to see her, moments before she joined the fray. Rhaenys knew that this would be an unfair fight, as she was more than twice as old as the girls as well as several heads taller and stronger than them. But this wasn't about winning or loosing.

She intercepted one of Elia's strikes. A loud clash resounded, as the wooden swords crashed against each other. Without giving her cousin a chance to pull back, she grabbed Elia's wrist with her free hand and dragged the smaller girl forward. Elia fell in the process and landed in an unceremonious heap in front of the princess.

Arya, meanwhile, looked surprised at Rhaenys, unsure about what she should do. She knew better than to attack this girl. Not even with a blunt training weapon. She knew that she was impulsive, something that she blamed on what her family called the wolf blood that had also plagued her aunt Lyanna. But she wasn't dumb enough to give these people a reason to hurt her.

"Come on, wolf girl, attack me." Rhaenys said, as she made a mocking gesture with her free hand. "Just a little spar. My uncle says that you can only truly understand someone else by fighting them." Or fucking them, at least that was the full statement she had heard from Oberyn Martell. But Rhaenys did not feel brazen enough to talk about such things so openly... or in front of two very young girls.

"Are you sure?" Arya asked. She looked at Elia, who had crawled away, cursing loudly.

"Scared?" Rhaenys asked again.

Arya hesitated for another moment, clearly not sure how wise or unwise such a fight would be. But Rhaenys left her with little choice, when she attacked first. It was a quick slash at her mid section. She had been to slow to evade or block it, so she felt the stinging pain of a new bruise when the weapon hit her.

Eventually she started to fight back, using what little she had learned in the past. But the difference in size was a tougher obstacle than she had anticipated. She barely managed to hit Rhaenys, who had obviously received better training.

But from the viewpoint of an outsider, the fight still looked like little more than a clumsy attempt at something that women should not busy themselves with. Rhaenys mused that Ser Barristan must be hard pressed not to stop the fight and lecture them both about the correct grip of a sword or the right use of heir feet for such a fight. Bu he stayed out of it.

"You have obviously tried your hand at sword fighting before, have you not? Who has taught you?" Rhaenys asked almost casually. It was a normal question, but the entire situation was such a big surprise for Arya, that she was unsure whether this was the really happening or only some very strange dream.

"It was my brother..." She said, as she blocked another attack.

"Ah, that older one, who has used to leer at my sister," Rhaenys said, sounding slightly displeased. Though she had no real reason to, she had chosen to dislike the Stark heir, just for the way he had looked at Joanna. Not that all of this was of any consequence now. Joanna was dead and she and Robb Stark were enemies now, because of the actions of their fathers.

"No, not Robb. And he did not leer. He is a good man and would never do anything to dishonor a lady." Arya protested. Indignation rose inside of her, as she did not like to hear anyone talk snidely about her family.

"It matters not. Not anymore at least. So who was it?"

"Jon. My other brother."

"Ah, the bastard. A brave boy. Brave or foolish, both goes hand in hand most of the time. He showed little fear, when I met him, even though he was alone and surrounded by people who did not like him." She remembered the boy. His eyes more than anything. He was good looking, she had to admit. A Stark to the bone, even though he was a bastard, a Snow of the North. But there was a certain appeal to the rough northern looks. Her cousin Arianne had gushed about some northern boy she had once seduced and lamented, when he had left so very quickly. But there was something else about Jon Snow, something that she did not understand. Something familiar in this strangers face.

"Why are we really fighting?" Arya asked impatiently, when Rhaenys remained quiet for some moments.

"Do you mean here or is this about the war?"

"Both..."

"This war is merely a continuation of the rebellion that has happened long before you were even born. I fight for the survival of my family and against the constant threat to all Targaryens and the realm that is called Robert Baratheon. This is about justice."

"Whose justice?"

Now that was a question Rhaenys had not expected. Whose justice? A rather peculiar, but also very important question. Whose justice? Was it her own? Viserys'? Her father's? Or for her mother? Her brother? All others who had died? It was horrifying that she had no answer. They always said justice and thought nothing more of it.

She had no answer, but she could see that the Stark girl expected one. So she tried to avoid the topic and asked a different question instead, "How do you feel about being here, among the enemies of your family, during a war that will shape the future of the Seven Kingdoms?"

"I want to see my family again. I don't want for them to die. And I don't want the people here to die either. Edric and Elia are my friends now and I don't want to see them fight my family and friends in the North one day."

"It is not like we have a choice any more," Rhaenys mumbled.

"But what am I to you?" Arya asked, "Am I a prisoner? A hostage?"

"You are..." Rhaenys hesitated again, if only for a few moments to find the right words, "You are my guest." Not a prisoner. She would not stoop so low to threaten the life of this girl, just for her own gain. But she hoped that this decision would not come back to haunt her later. But she was adamant, she would not be the villain in this war. She would not give the enemy that satisfaction.

"Then I can leave whenever I want?"

"No. You will stay here, at Sunspear, with Elia and Edric. For your own safety." Rhaenys said. She took a deep breath, before she turned away from Arya and walked back to Ser Barristan and Willas. The latter looked almost bemused, when she threw her sword in the general direction of the weapons' rack.

"Are you satisfied, my dear?" Willas asked.

Rhaenys chuckled mirthlessly, as she shook her head. "No. I did this for answers, but now I am more confused than ever before. I really need to get some rest." She looked over her shoulder, back to the young Stark girl. She was truly an odd one. "Ser Barristan, go and find those two a real tutor, lest they will only end up hurting each other."

"Of course, your grace." The knight replied. He was seemed surprised by this. Rhaenys reaction to the daughter of a sworn enemy was unexpected, but not at all unwelcome. Maybe it reassured him that it was the right decision to follow her. She was truly her father's daughter in more ways than one.