EDDARD I

Life in Dorne was never easy, but he had become accustomed to it. The first years were hard, not only because he remained imprisoned for most of Robert's Rebellion but because of the distrust he caused about House Dayne after the end of the war. He and Ashara had a hard time gaining the trust of the Dornish people, and Ned suspected that half the houses were still suspicious of him.

Fortunately, the Fowlers and Yronwoods appreciated it. As descendants of the First Men, they were interested in their knowledge of the Old Gods, even though they had worshipped the Seven for centuries. Ned even thought that Lord Franklyn Fowler would have liked to marry his twin daughters to Jon and Edric, in case they were not already married.

Likewise, Ned knew that Lord Anders Yronwood intended to marry his son Cletus to Lya. It wasn't a bad idea, if not for the fact that Lyarra didn't seem interested in Cletus and that Ashara would prefer to marry her to Prince Quentyn. Ned did not like to use his children as a bargaining chip and less with Prince Doran trying to influence the Dayne.

"Lord Eddard", the stable boy announced when he entered Starfall. "Your brother is already here, I didn't expect to see you so early."

"The sand steeds are fast, Ferris", Ned replied, handing his horse to the man.

Inside the castle, he found someone he didn't want to see. Being Gerold Dayne, knight of High Hermitage and member of a cadet branch of the Daynes.

"Lord Eddard", said this surprised, "Lyarra told me you were in Skyreach."

"That's right, Ser Gerold", Ned replied, "if you're so kind, tell my children I want to see them in my private rooms."

The knight who called himself Darkstar obeyed and set out in search of his distant cousins. Meanwhile, Ned searched for his brother. When he found him, he took him to his rooms, where Lya, Edric and Emma were already waiting.

"You're already a dornishman" joked Benjen. "If it weren't for your gray eyes I wouldn't recognize you."

"I've been here for eighteen years, little brother."

"Mother says she hated spicy food at first", Lya interrupted.

"Lord Commander Qorgyle loved spicy food", said Benjen, "you know? It is curious that in recent years the Wall has been commanded by men from the deep south. First Mors Qorgyle, then Gerold High Tower and finally Arthur Dayne."

The mention of Arthur Dayne overshadowed the room. His children never met the Sword of the Morning and still admired him. Ned would hate it if it weren't for the events of that day in the tower, what they guarded was too important to be carried away by hatred.

"Lord Commander Dayne is sick, Ned. I don't think I'll live much longer, so he commissioned me to bring Dawn."

Ned didn't expect it. When Benjen sent him a letter announcing his visit, he didn't think he would bring House Dayne's ancestral sword with him.

"Down is here?" asked Edric in amazement.

Benjen nodded.

"I guess Uncle Arthur wants Jon to be the new Sword of the Morning", Emma said.

Ned froze. He exchanged glances with Benjen, who also had the same concern. Fortunately, his beloved Lya, in an act of envy, broke up for good in awkward silence.

"Not if he marries Princess Arianne, Emma. If Uncle Arthur carried Dawn it was because he swore celibacy, if he had lost his last name when he married, our ancestral sword would have remained with nothing to wield it."

Ned never liked Lya's jealousy. His beloved eldest daughter rarely received the praise Jon did, which meant they didn't form a very close bond. He also suspected that jealousy was the reason why he fell in love with Ser Gerold, because unlike most dornishmen, Darkstar preferred Lya, even if it was not in any way he wanted.

"Lya is right, Emma", Ned commented. "If Jon marries the princess he will become part of House Martell."

"And since I am not a warrior, the sword will stay on its altar until someone can wield it", Edric added.

"Is your twin in Sunspear, Edric?" asked Benjen.

"Yes, uncle. Or so we know, the Red Viper travels a lot, although according to Mom's letter, Jon was at Sunspear."

"So I doubt I can see him", Benjen said sadly.

"Anyway", Ned interrupted, "I would like to tell you about my conversation with Lord Fowler, he is interested in you, Emma, being lady-in-waiting to her daughter Jeyne.

Being a lady-in-waiting was the feminine equivalent of being a squire. And since Emma was now a newly flowered lady, it will be natural for her to be the lady-in-waiting of an older noblewoman. Ashara had sent him to Skyreach for that purpose, thus removing the youngest of the Dayne's from Doran Martell's influence.

He was sometimes surprised at how older his children were compared to Brandon's children. Lya was born a year after Tourney at Harrenhal, while Jon and Edric were born at the end of Robert's Rebellion. Emma was born three years later, she was now fourteen years old and, therefore, of getting engaged.

He had no regrets about marital sex, otherwise his father would have married him to Barbrey Ryswell, a woman who loved Brandon. He didn't envy Brandon because, after all, the most beautiful woman in the world preferred him over Brandon. Deep down, he suspected it was Brandon who envied him.

Later that day, over dinner, the master of the castle sent him to call to resolve an urgent matter. Only Benjen accompanied him, as he still had a lot to talk about.

"My lord", said the maester, who gave Benjen a sullen look.

"My brother is legit, maester", replied Ned.

The maester hesitated, but let them both in.

"What's going on, maester?" he asked.

"Lord Arryn, the Hand of the King, is dead. The King has informed us in person, he wants you to appear at King's Landing as soon as possible,

Ned was saddened by the news. Jon Arryn was like a father to him and now he was dead. However, the fact that Robert summoned him to King's Landing only meant one thing and he didn't like it at all. What was coming was not right for him or House Dayne.

"Maester, send for Lya. We must prepare for my departure.

Benjen looked at him with concern but did not question his decision. He would soon return to the Wall to solve other problems, almost as important as the ones he was about to face. The succession of Lord Commander Dayne would have to wait, as the election of the next Hand of the King was urgent.