LYARRA III

It wasn't until Lyarra left King's Landing that she realized the hypocrisy of King Robert, or perhaps his impulsiveness. His Grace supported her engagement with Gerold as a means to pressure the match between Emma and Prince Joffrey. Was it worth sacrificing her younger sister's happiness for her own? Lyarra didn't think it was fair and felt guilty about it.

On the other hand, Gerold seemed happy, as if he had no interest in Emma, or maybe he just had a feeling that his sister-in-law would never marry the Prince. And on more than one occasion, her beloved and arrogant Darkstar had promised to kill anyone who harmed Emma, regardless of their rank. Despite his quasi-Valyrian appearance, her fiancé was too Dornish, more worthy of being called a viper than even Prince Oberyn himself.

And she loved him. She loved him because when all the men were falling for Arianne, he chose her. Her father had told her that Darkstar aspired to rule Starfall, but was that a crime? She was a lady heiress, and her position was as much a part of her as her personality or her beauty. Besides, uniting the two branches of House Dayne would benefit her family, as no one would try to usurp their rights over Starfall.

"Please, Lya," Gerold complained. "Your family is becoming more powerful every day, and you're still worried."

"I've already explained it to you," Lyarra responded.

Gerold didn't say anything. They just kept riding towards Starfall.

When they arrived at the ancestral seat of House Dayne, Edric and Emma were waiting for them, along with a young man who looked a lot like Uncle Brandon. It took Lyarra a moment to react, as she barely knew her cousins and her only certainty was that there was a Stark in Starfall.

"Lya!" exclaimed Edric as they entered the stables.

"Little brother," Lyarra replied, dismounting easily, which caught the young Stark's attention.

"We have visitors," Emma intervened, pointing to her cousin.

"Lord Stark," said Lyarra. "What brings you to Starfall?"

"I'm not a Stark, cousin. I'm Rodrik Snow," he corrected.

Lya hesitated for a moment, then realized that the boy had very northern features with no trace of the red-haired Tully heritage. Rodrik's mother must belong to an isolationist family, one of those who hated southerners. Even Jon and Edric, who were the most northern of the Daynes, did not have a savage look, as their build revealed their maternal heritage.

"It's nice to have you here, Rodrik," Lya responded sweetly. "It's a shame Jon and my parents aren't here so you could meet all of House Dayne." Then she pointed to Darkstar. "He is our cousin, Ser Gerold, Knight of High Hermitage, a distant relative, and my future husband."

No one was surprised by her statement; apparently, the news had arrived before them.

"I see you didn't receive my ravens; only Jon did," complained Edric.

Lya made a face, ashamed, but didn't say a word.

"Are you very close to your twin, Edric?" asked Rodrik.

"Jon gets him out of all his troubles," Gerold teased, forcing Lya to elbow him.

"Yes," Edric replied while laughing at Gerold. "Jon and I are very close, although not so much now that he's married."

Upon hearing Edric's words, Emma became sad. Lyarra suspected it was due to her engagement to the prince, so she promised to talk to her later. To speak woman to woman, to warn her of the dangers and teach her everything that could empower her. As the eldest of the Daynes, she would always watch over her siblings, even Jon, although he no longer needed her protection.

…

That night, she discovered the reason why her cousin visited Starfall. At that moment, she felt a giant hatred towards Lady Catelyn Stark and her stupid Andal morals. Why couldn't they understand that natural children were the result of love? Rodrik was not born of sin as Lady Stark supposed but of the true love of Uncle Brandon and Lady Barbrey Ryswell.

Although her father always held reservations towards Uncle Brandon for his multiple sexual adventures, in Dornish mentality, that had little importance. Not because they tolerated infidelity, as many thought, but because they understood that in his time of bachelorhood, Lord Brandon Stark was free to sleep with whomever he pleased.

"Then Lord Commander Oswell Whent is on Lady Stark's side," Emma asked.

"Yes," Rodrik admitted. "Her mother was a Whent, so if I joined the Watch, they'd push me off the top of the Wall."

"That's terrible," replied Emma, who was beginning to get along very well with her cousin.

"Yes, that's why Father sent me to Starfall without warning. One day I woke up, and my grandfather already had my horse saddled."

"You'll always have an open door here," added Lya.

"And any riverman who tries to kill you will have to deal with me," promised Darkstar.

Many feared Gerold's violent behavior, but she did not, because beneath his bravado was an extremely loyal man. Gerold did not rush into danger without thinking twice, and even when he acted recklessly, it was because he had planned it in advance and knew he could win. Still, she doubted that there was a man whom Gerold could not defeat in a fight to the death.

Later that night, she visited Emma, who was indeed distressed by her unexpected engagement. Lyarra wanted to talk to her about the prince, although unfortunately, she did not know him well beyond a simple display of courtesy. Any man could be courteous, even the wildest and most evil of them, a lesson she hoped Emma would not learn by force.

"Do you think the prince likes me?" she asked.

"It would be odd if he didn't like you," she replied with a smile.

Emma was the least northern of the Starfall children, so much so that she seemed to be the daughter of her late Uncle Ulrick or Darkstar. Emma was blonde, and her eyes were of an intense violet, while Lya had the brown hair of the Starks with eyes of a lighter, less Valyrian violet. Edric and Jon were Northerners, although of Dornish build. Their features were Stark, although Edric's hair was much lighter brown, a trait that helped distinguish the twins."

Edric and Jon were also very different from each other. Edric loved books, and Jon loved swords. Edric was intriguing and suspicious, while Jon trusted others easily. They were not identical twins, like the ones that often born among the Lannisters; they were just fraternal twins. And if it weren't for how inseparable they were, it would be easy to doubt that they were born on the same day.

"I don't want to leave them," added Emma, holding back her tears. "The castle isn't the same since Jon spends so much time in Sunspear."

"I know," admitted Lya, who, despite her jealousy, loved her younger brother. "But now he's the husband of the future princess of Dorne, and if Joffrey hurts you, he'll lead our armies and rescue you."

Emma was pleased, not so much by the promise of rescue but because she trusted her. Emma always preferred her, just like Gerold. She didn't care much about swords, despite receiving basic training. Ironically, she was the least Dornish in character, the most like her father in terms of personality.