POV Ashara DyaneEddard Stark, Ashara thought while gliding through the dance floor with her brother, it was not the first time she heard the name. While Doran commanded Oberyn and Ash to try and crack his facade and get a measure of the man, she heard the name before on one of the rare visits Arthur made to Starfall in last two years.
Apparently the man is known to Arthur through the Prince, while Ash gathered that Art did not like the man because how close he got to Rhaegar in such a short time, there was grudging respect in his voice, according to Arthur the man is adequate with a sword, considering it was said by the renowned Sword of the Morning that's high praise indeed. And he has a penchant for asking irritating questions, Arthur grumbled, as Arthur went through Old records and searched in crypts of Starfall for any mentions of Dawn. And apparently the Prince is interested in betrothing her to him if the talks Ash eavesdropped between her brothers are anything to go by, the Prince wanted this Eddard to tied even more tightly to him than he was already going to be.
So it would be an understatement to say Ashara was interested in getting a measure of this man when Oberyn conveyed Prince Dorans orders that morning before the wedding.
While Oberyn did say that Ashara need not seduce and bed him to get the information, Ashara knows enough of Doran to know that it will be appreciated for doing so, if that's what gets the job done. While Dorne is more liberal in matters of Sex compared to rest of Seven Kingdoms, Dornish were not so promiscuous as everyone else paints them to be either, ofcourse there are man whores like Oberyn but that is the case all over the world, why Robert Baratheon is a prime example, Dornish were just not hypocrites enough to demand chastity of their ladies while their lords can rut with anything that moves and has tits or not, sword swallowers are not not as uncommon as people seem to think. If said Dornish lady got on with a child after all the precautions and moon tea then said bastards are quietly passed off as their fathers or brothers bastard instead of shaming her like rest of Westeros. Ashara would be very surprised if every lady in rest on Seven Kingdoms had kept her Maidenhead intact before their marriage beds, that's why mother's pass along a vial of sheep's blood before bedding or fathers insist said Maidenheads are lost riding horses after all. Dornish just give same liberties to their women as they give their men, yet it just isn't possible for Dornish nobility to have epic passionate love marriages due to necessity of politically arranged marriages, so they ensure heirs are born between right people with expected features and they get on with their lives, after all paramours are such a wonderful thing.
Ashara herself had three lovers, her first was Oberyn, of course, he was handsome, a Prince and safe, yet they didn't fall into bed again after that first time, Ashara knew if she did she could possibly come to love him and that just won't do, Oberyn will never settle with one woman and Ashara doesn't think she can share a lover, mixing sex, jealousy and Dornish is an explosive cocktail and that just isn't Ashara, her second lover was a fellow handmaiden of Elia, a bastardborn daughter of Sunspears steward named Elaena, it came as a surprise for Ashara too, she never did know she swung that way too until Elaena, that romance lasted for about six months, before sweet Elaena married a gaurdsman and stopped warming Asharas bed. Then came Elia, her Princess, best friend, closest confidant and secret lover, with Elia, Ashara knew she was hopelessly in love, and Ashara was Elia's first, Ashara knows there is irony in there somewhere, but she just doesn't have the energy to find it. And Elia just got married and whose husband won't appreciate his wife's handmaiden fucking her. Ashara knows Elia does not reciprocate Ash's feelings, she slept with Ashara for the same reasons Ashara slept with Oberyn. There is heartache ofcourse, but Dornish, especially Dornish nobility know how to handle heartache and this Eddard Stark seems to be just the distraction she needs.
She looked for his reaction for the first time he saw Ashara of course, she made sure of it in fact, that first look on his face Ashara knew this wasn't a man who had no interest in women, he was speaking to Robert Baratheon when said Baratheon noticed as she elegantly glided in to room with midnight purple silks and velvet ,the color which highlighted her own eyes and her flowing dark hair, the dress which hugged her figure in all the right places with not a bit of skin showing her on shoulders, torso or legs but left her arms bare with just the matching gloves, on arm of just as fabulously dressed Oberyn. When Stark noticed his friends distraction and looked up, there was an expression on his face for all of two seconds, a look of almost reverence, as if she was the Maiden given form and all of his fantasies come true, there was such hungry desire in his grey eyes that almost flashed silver, before all of it just snapped out of his expression like it was never there, then it was all iron, iron eyes and iron mask for his face. Stark jabbed his elbow sharply into his friends side and seemed to chide him hushedly. Yet she can feel his eyes all over her, when she looked there was nothing there, but Ashara knew he was watching her, oh Ash was no stranger to hungry stares of men and women, their desire, this seemingly Quiet Wolf though, that intensity she never felt before, there were many who stared at her and salivated as though she was a piece of meat and would just love to gobble her up, but she was no helpless lamb and nobody ever caught her, only beds she shared are the ones she wanted to.
This Wolf seemingly wanted to hunt her yet decided not to, she has seen the intensity desire for however short time it was visible and had felt it against her spine all night, it wasn't shyness that stopped him, it was control. It appears Eddard Stark is tougher nut to crack than she thought.
" You seem to be in deep thought, sweet sister ", Arthur rumbled in that deep voice with a frown on his face.
" Oh it was nothing, dear brother, just thinking about Elia's wedding, it was such a beautiful ceremony ", Ashara answered, and it was a beautiful ceremony, Elia was a vision in her orange and gold silks, with her perfect tan skin and deep almond eyes, Starry Sept with its thousands of candles lit glistened like clear night sky and Elia glistened among them, Ashara was sure that memory will get through in many lonely nights.
" Is that so? It doesn't have anything to do with whatever mischief you are scheming with Oberyn?" , Arthur deadpanned.
Ashara gave an elegant tinkling laugh to buy enough time, damn, he knows us too well, think of something to distract him,yes, the song is ending, " There is no mischief brother, I promise. Now where is that Prince of yours, it's been awhile since I talked with him ".
" Nice try at distraction, Ash, whatever you are both up to know that I have an eye on you " , Arthur said with an eyeroll while walking her off of dance floor, " as for the Prince there he is, come", leading her in the Princes direction and lo and behold The Prince seems to be chatting with his cousin the Baratheon heir and the man of seemingly iron will , Eddard Stark.