Sometimes, Asric forgot what an evil-minded bastard his oldest brother was.
Allem was years older than himself and Arthur, as much older than them as they were than Lyria, and had grown up as much with Doran Martell as they had with Elia and Oberyn, and it showed. Everything from his tendency to watch and wait and his ability to consider rather than react was as much Doran as Asric's hotheadedness and Arthur's sarcasm were Oberyn and Elia.
Asric's viciousness, when unmasked, was wholly Doran, too.
"Arthur is the next thing to a rapist," he said shortly. "And Ser Gerold is worse, because as Lord Commander of the Kingsguard he is the closest thing there is in the realm to the Prince's superior, save the King and the Hand. We attack quickly, and from a distance - whatever else they may be, they're the finest swords in the realm. We would be destroyed before them, and..."
"And Allem and I cannot face Arthur," Asric finished when Allem could not. "As you say, Allem - whatever else he may be, he is our brother. I will not turn kinslayer, and I will not allow it of you."
"I feel we ought send for Oberyn," Larra said, not for the first time. "With his knowledge, this could be a simple fight."
"It is cowardice to poison men from afar," one of Lady Eddara's companions - Lord Dustin, he had said - snarled. "Dishonourable."
"Forgive me, Lord Dustin, that I value my life above my honour," Allem said coolly. "What of you, Lady Stark? It is your sister we ride to rescue - what would you have us do?"
Dara's eyes were bright and hard.
"Whatever is necessary to save her, my lord."
Buckets was healing quickly in the care of Lady Blackmont's healer, and so it was that Dara found herself watching towards Lya's tower with all that remained of her companions.
"It will take Prince Oberyn near a moon's turn to arrive from Sunspear," she explained, aware of how distant her voice was - it was away over the mountains with Lya, just as her heart was - but not caring at all. "During that time we are to discover all we can about this tower - how they are getting their supplies, for example."
"I can watch it," Buckets said. "I am not much use for fighting, but I am little use for aught but sitting about, so I might find something to stare at."
She squeezed his hand tight in thanks, startling at the touch of Howland's hand on her shoulder.
"Dara," he said, "a month will make little difference - if Lya is with child, she will remain with child. If not, the Prince is gone north and cannot do her any more harm."
That was well for Howland to say - he did not know Robert, did not know how Robert would treat Lya if he knew she was with child. He would call her a whore, treat her as though she had dishonoured him and as though she were sullied, somehow, by something not her fault, not by any means her choice.
But he would still want to wed her, because Robert's love was an obsession. Some distance had helped her understand that, particularly when she compared his lengthy proclamations of devotion to his imagined version of Lya to how Elbert had treated her during that last year, to how Mark had treated her during their time on the road (to how Asric Dayne looked at her when he thought there was no one to see, not even her).
Dara despaired of saving Lya, because even if she took her sister from that blasted tower, even if she did that and Robert won this war, she would only be sending her sister into the arms of something very close to a madman.
Unless... Yes, that might work. Jon would agree with her, if nothing else, which might sway Robert.
Please, gods, she begged, wondering if they even remembered her when she was so far south, please gods, keep my Lya safe, and my Ben.
Oberyn arrived with the next full moon, in the middle of the night, and greeted Larra and Asric both with lingering kisses.
"So, you have found the whore that stole my sister's husband and put her life in danger," he said, looking from one of them to the other.
Asric's temper flared, but Larra caught him by the wrist and pressed her hand to Oberyn's chest - she had always been peacemaker between the two of them, even when they were hardly more than babes in the water under Princess Ariella's watch.
"Enough," she said firmly. "Lady Lyanna is no more a whore than I am, you horrible bastard. Rhaegar kidnapped and raped the poor girl, Oberyn! She is as much a prisoner in that blasted tower as Elia is in the Red Keep!"
And then, Asric experienced a total novelty - Oberyn went completely, perfectly still.
When Oberyn spoke again, it was in a quiet, taut voice that Asric had only heard a handful of times before, every one of them from Princess Ariella, gods rest her soul.
"There are few things more repulsive in this world," Oberyn said, the links of his half-forged maester's chain appearing from a hidden pocket of his clothes as they always did when he was thinking hard and deep, "than a rapist."
He asked for a week and a room with large windows, as far from the main living quarters as possible. Once Larra had provided the one and Asric promised the other, Oberyn kissed them both farewell and locked the door of the room behind him and his saddlebags.
"So this is the famous Eddara Stark of the fine eyes."
Dara turned away from Lya's tower to find Prince Oberyn leaning against the doorframe.
She had been hoping Asric might come to see her, but she supposed that he likely had things to discuss with Lord Dayne or Lady Blackmont.
"Asric is in love with you, you know," Prince Oberyn said, springing away from the door and slinking into her room - there was something predatory about him, something simultaneously attractive and terrifying. "I do not think he even realises it, of course, but he is. He would wed you if you would accept him, I think."
Dara looked him hard in the eye - he had eyes like none she had ever seen before, night-black and noon-bright all at once.
"What is it you want, Prince Oberyn?" she asked shortly. "I am sure you did not come to my rooms to play matchmaker, your highness."
"No, I did not," he agreed easily. "I came to enquire after any marksmen to match Larra you might have in your company - we will need them, to administer my little potion to Arthur and his brothers."