Asric watched Lady Dara watch the horizon. Rhaegar's tower was not visible, but Larra had pointed out roughly where it lay and Dara had not looked away ever since.

"Has there been news of the war?"

He shrugged, even though she would not see it. "The Reach holds Storm's End to siege, and has since near the war began. There have been battles fought, largely won by the rebels, and they say the King is twice as mad as he ever was."

He hesitated.

"I was sorry to hear of your loss, my lady," he said. "Your brother was a good man, as I am sure your lord father was."

She made a small sound, a sort of hiccup that he thought might have been hiding a sob, and shook her head. It was strange to see her with short hair, because all of his memories of her (few though they were, often they were enough to fill his dreams) were of that long, handsome face surrounded by heavy brown hair that curled at her elbows, those bright-dark eyes watching him curiously, as though trying to decide what sort of creature he was.

"My brother was a blackguard, ser," she said, something like a smile curling the corner of her lips, "but he was mine, and I loved him."

Just as I will miss Arthur, Asric knew, and felt sick. Whether they both survived all this or not, Asric was certain that he and Arthur could never again be what they had once been to each other.

"I will take you to where they have your sister tomorrow night, my lady," he said, "but I do not know if I may be of any assistance beyond that - well, Larra's maester will care for your companion, and we might furnish you with supplies and clothing for your journey home, but..."

"I would ask one more favour of you, ser," she said, still staring out across the mountains from the balcony.

"Anything, my lady," he promised, wishing for some way to atone for Arthur's sins against her sister.

"Speak with your brother on my behalf," she said, finally turning from the view. "Speak with him, and beg that he let me see my sister."

The loose, filmy trousers Lady Blackmont had furnished Dara with were apparently cut from something called sandsilk, which slipped through her fingers like water and shone like it was polished, and the long length of cloth that wrapped around her head, covering her hair and face, and then wound about her shoulders and upper arms to tuck into the front of the shapeless tunic was made of the same.

Dara concentrated on this rather than think on how Asric- Ser Asric was getting on with his brother, below at the tower.

"A princess in a tower," she laughed bitterly to the open sky, twinkling hard and bright with stars. "Oh, Lya, you always did love your songs."

Asric had begged her to ask anything else of him but to speak with his brother, which had stunned her - she had thought them to be as close as she and Bran had been, but the obvious distaste he had for the thought of being near to Ser Arthur had taken her by surprise.

She had not relented. He was her best chance of getting to Lya, and she would not lose that chance, not now that she was so, so close.

Lady Blackmont had said that Lya was with child, and that she had looked sickly when she and Asric had gotten close enough to see, but Dara did not want to think of that. She only wanted to think of Lya being close to her, being within reach, and of being with her sister soon. Nothing else was allowed to enter her mind, not even the heat that had spread from the splay of Asric's hand on the small of her back.

"Asric," Arthur breathed. "You damned fool, what are you doing here?"

"I am not here on my own account," Asric said stoutly, sliding down from Selwyn's back and lowering his veil. "I come on behalf of Lady Eddara Stark of Winterfell, with a request."

Ser Gerold had come forward from his place by the tower door, hand on hilt, but he relaxed a little when he saw it was just Asric. He has never seen me as anything but a foolish slut, a slave to my whims, much as he sees every Dornishman save Arthur and Lewyn.

"She wishes to see her sister, Arthur."

"None may see the Princess," Ser Gerold said, hand flashing back to his hilt - the seven-pointed star set into the junction of crossguard and hilt glimmered in the night, diamond-bright but not a diamond. "Particularly not a traitor's daughter."

"Rhaegar kidnapped and raped Lady Lyanna," Asric snarled, starting forward only to run smack into Arthur's outstretched arm.

"Enough," Arthur said quietly. "The Lord Commander has the right of it - the Prince left strict orders, Asric. I am sorry, but we are duty bound to obey."

"Then your vows to the King negate your vows to the Seven," Asric snapped. "Well, I took no vows save those of a knight, and I will stand by those even if it means turning on you, brother mine."

"Asric-"

"You chose your path, Arthur," he said, whirling away and swinging back into the saddle. "I have chosen mine, and it would seem that they cross most unhappily. I would say that I am sorry, but it is you who should be sorry."

And then he left, to collect Eddara and return to Blackmont, where he and Larra could make a plan.

If only to make up for Arthur's wrongs, he would get Eddara Stark to her sister, even if it killed him.