Matters of the Realm

"And just what have you been doing?" Elia asked once Ashara had entered the room. The solar was a warm room, reds and oranges and yellows scattered all around, and a big fire roaring in the fireplace serving to heat the entire space.

A flask of wine, most likely a Dornish Red, was placed on a low table, with seats that had only recently been used scattered all around. Drained glasses that had been cleared away were on a small dresser off to the side, with two fresh ones on the table in the middle of the room.

Curiously, none of the others were in the room, as was the norm.

"What do you mean?"

Instead of answering, Elia simply gave her a heavy look, indicating her body. Ashara followed her gaze, and heat jumped up her neck. Her gown was ruffled and her bodice slightly askew, as if she had been involved in inappropriate activities. She had not noticed until now, but no doubt the trip up and down the Widow's Tower was at fault for the change.

Hurriedly righting the garment, she desperately thought of what to say.

"Not what it looks like," Ashara insisted, earning herself a raised eyebrow.

"I did not think so. Join me," Elia said and patted one of the cushioned seats near her. Ashara moved to the seat and settled down, smoothing down her skirts once more, now sharply focused on the folds and lines and what happened to them. She waited patiently as Elia poured some wine for both of them, still unsure just what was going on.

Whatever had happened, the atmosphere was unusually heavy between them, quite unlike the light friendliness that had grown among all the Dornish ladies that had accompanied Elia to King's Landing and then Dragonstone.

"How is our champion doing?" Elia began, a small but devious smile on her lips, after they had both taken a sip of the pleasantly sour wine.

Ashara should have seen this coming. Her favour had not remained a secret, and neither had her attempts to seek Naruto out after the melee had concluded. "Very good. We were just about to dance again when Ser Barristan found me. He is… an impressive man."

The moment of light-hearted conversation served to settle her, getting her in the right mindset again, her moment of embarrassment quickly forgotten. All of them, they had more important things to focus on here, chiefly the realm and its future.

"I believe his performance had made that clear already," Elia said and moved onto the real subject matter. "I met with Brandon Stark earlier, among others. He would not make a final decision without his father's leave, not on something like this, but he will discuss the matter with his family once they have returned to Winterfell."

Ashara's gaze was instinctively drawn to the door for a moment, a response conditioned even by the short time she had spent in the Red Keep.

With Lord Varys not in attendance and Prince Lewyn guarding the room they could talk more freely than usual, but caution was still paramount. Most no one looked to a Kingsguard for secrets, but King Aerys was already paranoid and suspicious of his son, and some of those thoughts extended to Elia and her ladies. There was no reason to create openings where there need not be any.

Rhaegar had harboured thoughts of a Great Council for longer than Elia and him had been married but garnering the support necessary for that endeavour was no easy task. As a prince, his options were limited to promises, of lands and titles and honours, to be bestowed once he ascended the Throne. Those thoughts had turned into plans more than half a year ago.

Dornish forces alone would not be capable of stalling outright hostility when the official announcement was made. Allies were needed, more than they could currently rely on. The Crownlands would split between father and son, even if not evenly, and they were reasonably sure that Tywin Lannister could be brought to their side, if for no other reason than that it would mean opposing Aerys, but that still left all the other regions unaccounted for.

Reach and Riverlands had been staunchly loyal to the Targaryens since the Conquest but that could turn out to be both blessing and curse. Aerys was a Targaryen as well, after all. Like as not, the Reach would simply ally with the father to stand against further Dornish influence in the son's court. Even a century later there was much bad blood between old enemies.

By gaining the North they would make much headway in securing the necessary strength, more so if both Stormlands and Riverlands followed along.

Elia leaned in close and spoke as quietly as possible. "In return for the support of the North, and for closer relations, the alliance will be finalised with a marriage. His younger brother Eddard remains unpromised and the Starks believe in friendship for friendship."

Deep down, Ashara already knew what the answer would be before she had even asked the question. "Who, then?"

Elia gave her another look and said exactly what she expected.

"You and Eddard would wed towards the end of the year, should everything proceed as planned. The friendship between causes as strong as that between us two."

There had been offers for her hand before, many of them in fact. Landed knights and minor lords complimenting her beauty and promising riches and strong sons. Until now, the answer had always been a polite refusal. It was Elia's duty as princess to arrange the most advantageous marriage for her, and none had met her requirements before now.

Ashara should not have been surprised, and she was not, but somehow it still felt like the floor had disappeared beneath her. Taking another, significantly larger sip of wine, she watched the red liquid slowly come together again, flowing down the inside of the glass once she had placed it down on the table.

Her House was old and proud. The Daynes had been Kings of the Torentine once, until Princess Nymeria had landed in Dorne and forced them to give up their crown, forging the Dorne of today out of the many smaller kingdoms. The Starks had been the Kings of Winter, ruling over everything north of the Neck for thousands of years, until Torrhen Stark knelt to Aegon the Conqueror, making them Wardens of the North instead.

Though Eddard was a second son, he would lack for nothing, and as his wife neither would she. It was a good match, she knew. Better, in fact, than many others she could have imagined for herself.

"You do not approve?"

Ashara shook her head, "It is not a matter of disapproval. Eddard seems a good man from what little I know." They had danced yesterday, exchanging perhaps a dozen sentences in that time. How could she know enough about him to disapprove of the idea from that?

She knew her duty, to her family and Elia and the realm. Without the North, they could not succeed.

That she would wed was not what was giving her pause, far from it. In the end Ashara had been prepared for that eventuality for years. This was a bit earlier than she had expected but she was a woman grown, had been for near two years now.

Her hand being used in an alliance for the benefit of the royal family was part of being a lady-in-waiting. Had it not been Eddard it would have been some lesser lord instead, whose allegiance was necessary or somehow advantageous.

A foreign, common-born sellsword, even if capable, did not hold much weight when armies stood to be gained. A fanciful dream during a tourney. It could never be.

"But?" Elia asked calmly.

Ashara squared her shoulders. "No, there is no but."

There were questions on her part, of course, but she would do her duty.

"Thank you, Ashara." Elia nodded at her, a sympathetic smile on her face and reached over to give her hand a gentle squeeze. "Do not speak of it yet, not here at least, but I know you have questions. There will be time for them at Dragonstone."

"Of course," Ashara said, accepting that truth for what it was. There was always a time and a place.

The tourney continued without regard for her thoughts or troubles, which was almost comforting. The other attendees did not know and therefore did not care, simply continuing with their lives as they would.

To contrast the martial endeavours of the melee the second day of competitions contained lighter events. To begin the day, dozens of singers competed with each other, presenting their compositions and voices to be judged against their peers.

Perhaps Ashara was simply spoiled in that regard, for Rhaegar often took the time to play his harp at Dragonstone or King's Landing should the occasion allow, but she thought none of the musicians particularly noteworthy. They were skilled, certainly, but the final decision was a close affair, and could have gone either way after hours of displays, a far cry from Naruto's convincing performance in the melee.

Then again, Larra, Alyse, and the others seemed to enjoy all of it well enough, as she normally did.

They did not know of the plans for her, the secret still kept for now, but she wanted to tell them.

Some excitement returned for the day as the horse racing began. Elia's brother Oberyn had a passion for horses, both the riding of them and their breeding as well, a string of sand steeds he kept near Sunspear taking up much of his time, and he was intent to show their exceptional pedigree here.

In certain ways the race was more important than the melee or even the joust. There, personal glory was the reward and coin as well, but good results in the horse race at a tourney as grand as this one could influence the spending habits of knights and lords for years.

Sand steeds were generally slimmer and smaller than a destrier, not as capable at bearing both the weight of barding and a warrior in full plate, but they were robust beasts, well-adjusted to the heat and crossing long distances without water. They made the perfect mount for Dorne, where full plate meant having a terrible time before battle was even joined, and water needed to be rationed tightly while crossing the desert.

Fortunately, neither rider nor horse needed any armour for this event, all the competitors clad in as little as possible in the chilly weather to reduce the weight as much as they could.

It only helped that Oberyn was an excellent rider as well and knew his mount like the back of his hand. It was one thing to spend years in the saddle, it was another to know the second your horse would start to tire, to know how long it would need at a slightly slower pace to manage the last yards to the finish at its absolute fastest. However, he was not alone in that regard.

The Brackens and Ryswells had been breeding horses for centuries, even millennia, as had other houses scattered all over the Seven Kingdoms. These families owed much of their riches to the selling and breeding of horses and were understandably invested in any changes or developments.

For that reason, they had sent their best to Harrenhal, though far from all the riders were knights or lords themselves. The horses were the more important part, and their owner was free to let whoever they wanted ride for them. A small purse would be handed out to the successful riders, but the future incomes that could be generated through a good performance would far outstrip that coin very quickly.

Oberyn's black steed crossed the finish line in third place, behind a Bracken and a Roote rider. A good result, though Oberyn would likely not admit to it for a day at least, spending his time drinking and complaining about the missed chance at first. Elia had almost been relieved that he had not won, saying that it would have only made him insufferably full of himself for weeks.

Dragons, stags, and stars exchanged hands in the hundreds and thousands, as bets that had been made on the results were paid out to the fortunate, and now richer, onlookers.

More races followed as late morning turned to midday and then afternoon, as did adjacent competitions. Destriers and coursers completed a course in full barding, well-conditioned horses began an hours-long race that was concerned more with stamina than it was speed, and enormous drays pulled heavy weights in teams of two, showing off their incredible strength and training. Ashara could not help but pay particular attention to the last.

Starfall had a great need for draft horses, to transport trade goods north to High Hermitage or Blackmont where the Torentine was impossible to use for transportation, and to connect the different settlements along the southern coast to smaller ports that could reach Starfall more quickly by ship than a cart could by moving along the roads.

Even if she would be the Lady of another household in less than a year, she had learned and trained to maintain one at home, with all the intricacies and quirks of the Dayne lands.

In the end, she made a note of the breeders of the most capable beasts, to send to her brother by raven later that day. Alaric and Carella, his wife, would need to make the final decisions on the matter themselves but giving them this information could not hurt.

When there was some time available to her, Ashara searched out the sept in Harrenhal. Unlike most of the castle it was a bright place, built years after Harren the Black had been burned in his own hall. Coloured glass allowed the sun to shine inside the circular room and torches and candles served to warm the space.

Had she been on Dragonstone, she would have visited the falconer and spent some time with her eagle, Morning. Animals had no need to think of politics and marriages and plotting Great Councils, though Ashara imagined that most people did not either. But she was not on Dragonstone, so the Gods would have to do.

All septs were slightly different, the statues erected to depict the Seven varying in minute details between each location, but the fundamentals always remained the same. Seven statues, with seven faces. Traditionally, she should have prayed to the Maiden in thanks, for the marriage offer she was a part of now, but that could attract unnecessary attention to her, and she had no doubt that Lord Varys had informants in the castle despite his absence.

Instead of lighting a candle at any one altar Ashara headed towards the middle of the sept, where there was space to address the Gods in their entirety. She was not even sure what she prayed for, except for everything to turn out well in the end.

Would she be able to do this once she was wed? House Stark followed the old gods, and her wedding would no doubt be held in front of the weirwood in Winterfell. Would Eddard allow her a sept in their seat, wherever that turned out to be?

Starfall had a weirwood as well, though half of it had been burned by Queen Visenya on Vhagar more than two hundred years ago, in retaliation for the attack on Oldtown by Ser Joffrey Dayne during the First Dornish War.

As a child, she had sometimes hidden in the small godswood, from Arthur or Alaric or her Lady Mother, though she scarcely remembered those occasions, instead recalling younger memories of finding comfort under the carved white face when Arthur had left Starfall for King's Landing or after her father had passed.

That, at least, was something she would have in common with her husband-to-be, though she knew little of the old gods themselves. House Dayne may pride itself on its age, but they had not been left unchanged by the passage of time.

The feasting that evening was not as grand as the first celebration to begin the tourney had been, but just like the one last night it did not lack for grandeur in any way. Wines from the arbour flowed like water and course after course was served to feed all the mouths in the Hall of a Hundred Hearths.

King Aerys sulked in his high seat while those around him did their best to keep some distance, wary of the next bout of sudden rage or hysterical laughter. She had not been at court at the time, but Rhaegar sometimes said that Duskendale had been the final step for his father. Before there had been a chance of avoiding conflict in the family, but not now.

Ashara sat with Elia and the other ladies from Dorne, just as all the others in the room mingled in their own groups. Northerners sat with other Northerners while those from the Vale sat with those from the Vale. The champions of the day's events had been invited to the high table, just as Naruto had been the day before.

Today, he sat with the Starks and their bannermen instead, welcome in the hall as a champion but not invited to sit with king and prince. She saw him engaged in conversation with Brandon, the heir of Winterfell obviously not holding a grudge for his defeat in the course of the melee. Eddard sat with them, as did the two younger siblings, Lyanna and Benjen. A young squire in green and bronze spoke to the younger two but at the distance, Ashara could not make out the dark sigil on his doublet.

She wondered if Eddard already knew about the arrangement, or if Brandon had kept it from his brother for now, until the final decision had been made. Surely if he did know, he would approach her soon. A repeat dance would attract no special attention from anyone, and it would give them the opportunity to talk.

Larra sighed longingly next to her, quickly gaining Ashara's attention, and making her turn away from the Northern table.

"He has a beautiful voice, don't you think?"

Ashara followed Larra's distracted gaze to one of the other tables in the hall, where men and women from the Reach mingled with each other. Specifically, to one of the young men clad in the silver, gold, and black of House Costayne that had competed as a singer earlier that day. "Him?"

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she tried to think of his name, but her mind had been on other matters and she was unable to recall it. When she remained quiet too long in her attempt to remember, Larra turned to her, wide-eyed and an elated smile growing on her face.

"You don't remember?"

An embarrassed blush spread over Ashara's face. She was usually much more attentive and careful but thoughts about her secretly planned marriage and the implications of it had loomed large. The young Costayne was only a singer, if a talented one, and far down the line of succession of Three Towers, but you could never know when knowing a name would be essential.

Larra smiled even wider, her former interest quickly forgotten for far more appealing prospects. In that moment, she resembled the sigil of her house, a black vulture grasping its human prey in its claws.

Blackmonts and Daynes had warred often in the distant past. Both of their houses had laid claim to a kingdom in the Red Mountains once, with a shared border along the Torentine that had been a matter of many disputes between them. Princess Nymeria coming to Dorne and sending six kings to the Wall had not simply made those feuds disappear, though standing united against the attempt at invasion by the Targaryens had been more successful.

Besides Elia, Ashara was closest to Larra among the Dornish ladies at court. In King's Landing and on Dragonstone old rivalries had quickly faded into the background, when outward feuds and hostilities were far easier to maintain.

The Marcher Lords of the Reach and Stormlands had never approved of the way Dorne had joined the Seven Kingdoms under Daeron II, much less their strong presence in his court. They would likely be similarly unhappy should Rhaegar ascend the Iron Throne as things currently stood.

"That I would live to see the day," Larra said airily, her amusement clear. She took a sip of wine and smiled at her over the rim of the glass. "What is next, I wonder?"

Ashara could not help but roll her eyes. Larra was always playing around like this, when she wasn't batting her lashes at the latest man that had caught her attention at least. She remembered then. Aemon. Aemon Costayne, that was the singer's name.

Naming sons after a King or Prince was not uncommon, though it did not always meet with a positive reaction.

"Aemon has a very nice voice."

"I wonder, what could have you so distracted?" Larra simply ignored her words, obviously judging this new line of thought to be more important. "Could it be a certain blonde champion, perhaps? Is that who you disappeared with, at last night's feast? Ashara, Ashara," she tutted, eyes bright.

Suppressing the groan that worked itself up from within her took much control, as did not raising her hand to cover the blush on her face. Ashara simply hoped that the light of the many fires in the room would cover the redness.

She knew that Larra was only amusing herself and meant nothing by the remarks but that made hearing them no easier to bear with grace.

"I should have never said anything about my favour," Ashara said, slightly disgruntled. Larra simply laughed, and she soon joined her.

"Is there always a new surprise waiting, once one gets to know a little more about you?" Ashara asked a day later once the music had begun and would largely drown out their conversation.

Naruto flashed her a grin filled with mischief and continued their dance without interruption. "Whatever do you mean, my lady?"

She knew that he was only teasing her, perfectly aware of what she meant.

"How is it that a sellsword has to bargain for a place in a melee and yet owns a dagger of Valyrian steel and a dragonbone bow?"

Naruto had competed in archery that day, presenting the weapon to everyone watching, and making her once more wonder at his exact origin. His performance had not been quite as impressive as the one two days before, barely managing to reach the second-to-last round before being defeated, but the weapon had still attracted quite a bit of attention.

Ashara knew that she should be more sceptical of his intentions at Harrenhal, but she could not bring herself to accuse him. That he had so easily noticed her on the first day and managed to enter the hall without anyone being the wiser spoke to his abilities, spoke to skills of the more unsavoury kind, but he did not seem a treacherous man to her.

Naruto leaned in a bit closer. She could feel his breath on her face, appreciate his sharp blue eyes.

"I had thought that was obvious by now. As you are aware, I am a common criminal in truth, and adept at being where I should not. I judged their owners to have no more use for them," he said, a mysterious smile playing about his lips.

"You admit to being only a common one, then?" she said distractedly, only half thinking about her words.

He accepted the counter with a smile and continued their dance in silence. Just when she thought that he would not speak on the matter anymore, he sobered slightly and began explaining.

"I was on a ship headed for Volantis when we were beset by pirates. One of them carried the bow and I broke his arm in the fighting. I did not think he should be allowed to keep it afterwards." There was clearly a wealth of information he was leaving out, but Ashara judged it to be an honest answer, nonetheless.

It was the most reasonable explanation for his possession of the item in any case. She had seen his prowess in the melee. Gaining a valuable weapon by defeating the former owner was a common enough tale.

Houses had spent fortunes to gain heirlooms from Valyria in the past, but those weapons had not always remained with their buyers. The Ironborn currently claimed two Valyrian steel swords, Red Rain and Nightfall, but both had been gained after battle with their former wielders.

Dragonbone was less valuable than Valyrian steel, though it was still very rare. The Dothraki were said to treasure the material for bows in particular and were willing to pay exorbitant prices in slaves and plunder, so those that had existed in the Seven Kingdoms in the past had largely been moved to Essos over time.

"And your dagger? Did you happen upon it in similar fashion?"

"You could say that."

Ashara knew he was evading to answer fully but she did not begrudge him that. It seemed a personal topic and digging for the truth now would only make the air between them unnecessarily heavy. She simply nodded, accepting the answer he had given, and they continued to dance to the music.

Though it was only the third time they had danced, Naruto had clearly picked up on the steps from around them quickly. Purple on his right arm caught her eye as they twisted around each other for a moment before coming together again.

By rights, Ashara should have taken back her favour from Naruto, now that her hand was promised to another, even if most no one else knew of the arrangement. She should be dancing with her intended, getting to know him as much as she was able, while this opportunity to do so lasted. But she did no such thing, and the silver-embroidered length of silk remained bound to Naruto's arm.

Potential rumours entered her mind. How this would be seen, in weeks, moons, years. Perception could be a powerful thing and impact your image more than reality did. Ashara did not care.

"Do you intend to compete tomorrow?" she asked eventually, when two songs had passed in companionable silence between them. The jousting would last for five days and begin with the same number of champions: the four sons of Lord Whent and his brother, Ser Oswell of the Kingsguard.

"I'm afraid my limited ability at mounted combat was already stretched thin in the melee. I would only make a fool of myself in the attempt."

Well, he was no knight in the end. She would not put it past him to try despite that but there was little room for an inventive approach to jousting, less than for a melee in any case. It was a matter of training, of riding well and aiming your strike precisely.

Timing the drop of the lance correctly was no easy feat, though luck could certainly compensate for a lack of skill, especially in the beginning.

As in the melee, the first day of jousting would be filled with the attempts of younger men still fresh to their spurs, or bolder ones unaware of the toll staying champion for more than a day could extract.

Ser Oswell would manage it for one or two, Ashara did not doubt, but five consecutive days of jousting without a single loss would be a tall task for even the best knights of song, much less any real one. Arthur, Ser Barristan, Ser Lewyn, Oberyn. As far as she knew none of them would begin competing before the third day.

Ashara wondered if Eddard would compete at all. He had been fostered with Jon Arryn at the Eyrie, and the Vale enjoyed tourneys near as much as the Reach, but just like Naruto he was no knight. That would not bar him from entering the lists tomorrow or the days after at this tourney, however.

Brandon had participated in the melee, and would perhaps do the same for the joust, but she knew well that brothers were not always alike.

"Are you alright, my lady?" Naruto asked, breaking her from her thoughts and bringing her back to the present. His scarred left hand was pleasantly warm even through her gown.

"Yes. Of course," Ashara answered, heart growing heavy.

On the second day of the joust, a mystery knight appeared in the lists, a smiling weirwood emblazoned on his shield. When the man cantered forward and dipped his lance to King Aerys, Ashara searched the other onlookers for Naruto's distinctive blonde hair.

But no, it could not be him, the mismatched armour looked slightly too big for its wearer, and even that was still too small for his size.

She found him then, mixed into the crowd of onlookers. Naruto noticed her gaze and turned his head. Ashara was aware of the unbidden smile on her lips.

What a fool she was being. She would be married to another in less than a year. There would be threats, possibly even battle, during their attempt to call a Great Council and replace Aerys as King. This was not a time for flights of fancy, for wild imaginations of a version of events where things were different. The realm needed her.

Only dancing. It would be nothing more, Ashara told herself as she turned to watch the jousting. It could not be. This was no song. They needed the North more than a single man, more than any one person needed to get what they may or may not want.

Why then, did she feel so unsure?

I hope you enjoyed chapter 23. I am nearly done with 24 and about halfway with 25.

Second PoV for Ashara this time, with the aftermath of last chapter's ending.

Marriages are political alliances in many ways, and the ones between North, Stormlands, and Riverlands are very notable. Tywin intended to marry Jaime to Lysa Tully before he was inducted into the Kingsguard through Cersei's machinations, which would have gotten him a connection to that powerblock. Jon Arryn has a living heir at this time, Elbert Arryn, his nephew, who was probably intended to marry Lysa afterwards, since I can see no reason for him to be available to accompany Brandon to King's Landing otherwise.

Elia is trying to use this tourney for something like its original purpose even if the King is there though she has to be careful. Marrying off her ladies in waiting is part of that, though a blood connection would be preferable. Still, you work with what you have. The fostering of Eddard and Robert is grounds for an alliance as well, after all.

Rhaegar's stunt at the end of the joust is more than just an insult to Elia and the North, it negates the efforts that are being made. But there will be more on that in chapter 25.

Religion is not a topic George cares for or spends a lot of time on, which is probably why almost none of the characters we have PoV's for are particularly devout, though Aeron Damphair is a big exception. Davos and Catelyn right behind him. Ashara follows the Seven, like nearly everyone below the Neck, and would pray in an attempt to find some inner peace and figure out what she should do.

The Daynes are a House we know surprisingly little about, considering their prevalence in fan theories. Their looks are notable, which can sometimes be Valyrian: purple eyes/pale hair, and they are one of if not the oldest House in Westeros. Empire of the Dawn and all that jazz. Also Dawn.

What we know is that they were kings once, are what Daeron the Young Dragon considered "stony" Dornishmen, have First Men descent, and that they are largely notable for their posession of Dawn, which is not made of Valyrian Steel but a fallen star. Does Starfall have a Weirwood in canon? I don't know, but I think it would be fitting if it did. Highgarden has one, Riverrun has one, Storm's End and others south of the Neck. Of course, the Daynes don't worship the Old Gods any more, but the tree remains.

Ashara wrestles with her duty in this chapter. She knows that this marriage is necessary, but the heart wants what the heart wants, even if those things are conventionally impossible. She isn't in love with Naruto or anything, and neither is he with her yet, but she is certainly a bit smitten with him. One conversation with Ned doesn't even compare.

Her older brother and his wife have no name in canon, we only know about their son Edric, so I gave them names here.

Ladies were the ones that managed the supplies and household, which is one of those things George teases at the beginning of AGOT and is then almost never mentioned again. Something like the buying of draft horses could definitely fall under those considerations.

Ashara has an eagle, because they are awesome. It's a golden eagle, if anyone is wondering. They basically exist in the entire northern hemisphere, though we have largely pushed them into mountainous regions, so the Red Mountains, Westerlands, and Vale would be perfect for them. Hawking can be done with a lot of different birds. Eagles were mostly used in the Euroasian Steppe.

I want to thank everyone for 1000 followers on this story. I am grateful for every single one and seeing the positive reception this story has gotten continues to motivate me.

As always thanks for reading and reviewing. Until next time.