Of White Trees and Blue Roses
I own nothing. This all belongs to GRRM, and I'm just playing with the story he gave us.
~X~
Chapter Five – Milk, Fire, and Iron
Ned looked up and stared open jawed at the girl he saw standing on the walls above. Many times he had chided Robert for the way he reacted when he first saw Lyanna, and for how his spine turned to water whenever she was near—now he knew why.
She had come to watch the knights and great lords enter, and for a second he'd caught her interest, though it had passed swiftly and her eyes had moved on. As loathe as he was to admit it, she'd looked at Robb for a heartbeat longer.
Still, Ned's eyes were more faithful, and he craned his head to keep her in view. She was tall and slender, and hair as white as milk flowed down her back. She wore a lilac gown and for a moment Ned wondered if they matched her eyes, and whether she might be a Targaryen princess, but then his knowledge of the great houses reminded him that there was not a direct descendant of a similar age as this maid.
It didn't matter—from that moment on she was queen of Eddard Stark's heart. If he'd been of a mind to enter the lists and by some miracle he'd won, then he would crown her Queen of Love and Beauty without a second's hesitation.
He suddenly became aware that he was once again being observed, but not by his princess.
Robb looked over his shoulder and followed where Ned's eyes had been focused, and then he beamed widely.
"I never thought I'd see the day that I saw Eddard Stark of Winterfell look at a girl like that. I told Jon Arryn I'd have a positive effect on you one day."
Ned smiled, and tried to swallow down the bitter taste of jealousy as he remembered that the milk princess had stared at Robb for just that little longer than she had at Ned himself. And who could blame her? It was obvious that his fellow ward was here to compete—he had the build and Ned already knew that women found him more attractive.
Accustomed to standing in the shadow that others cast, Ned wished that for once it would be him rather than his friend or his larger than life brother that stole the moment. No one ever looked at the second son of the Lord of Winterfell—it was always Brandon that commanded their attention, and now it seemed that he was also the second ward of Jon Arryn.
For a moment, Ned wondered if he should enter the lists, to see if his mystery lady would notice him, but then he pushed the idea out of his mind. He wasn't the type to seek out violence or glory like Brandon or Robb, and though he was a good swordsman, he wasn't great, and jousting had never interested him.
No, if he could win her favour, whoever she was, he wanted to do it by being himself. Above all, he wanted to know her name, whether she was highborn or baseborn, and whether she was already promised. A woman as beautiful as she was, she must have already caught the eyes of many men, and if she was highborn, what could Eddard as a second son offer her other than his very soul?
Robb laughed at him again as they stopped, and then a number of servants gathered around them as they dismounted. The chaos amplified when a horn sounded, and then the steady stream of arrivals parted.
A roar rose up and Ned looked amongst the crowd to see a knight wearing black plate accompanied by a knight of the Kingsguard. He knew who they both were instantly, just like every other man and woman who looked on.
The knight of the Kingsguard was Arthur Dayne, the Sword of the Morning, and the three-headed red dragon on black was for House Targaryen; he did not have to wait for Prince Rhaegar to remove his helm and wave to know it was him. His white hair contrasted harshly with his dark attire, but he noticed every female in the vicinity draw breath for a second.
Instinctively, his eyes sought out the milk princess and even at a distance he could see that Rhaegar was consuming her thoughts.
What chance would I have to win a girl in present company? Ned thought, but he was interrupted.
"Ned, Robert, follow me. Best to get ourselves settled while everyone else fawns over the good prince."
They followed their foster father's instruction, pausing only to allow two highborn ladies to pass through a door before them. They both had long auburn hair and wore gowns of blue and red—the matching fish broaches that they wore confirmed that they were of House Tully.
No doubt they wanted to look on Rhaegar Targaryen like almost everyone else.
They might be Catelyn and Lysa Tully, Ned pondered. One of them would be his older brother's wife and Lady of Winterfell one day. Brandon had said that his bride was beautiful, and where both girls that passed through the door were fair, only the taller truly caught the eye.
Once the way was clear, he noticed that Robert's eyes followed them, his thumb absent-mindedly running across the scarred line that Brandon had left him with, as he often did when he looked at a fair maid.
~X~
"Father, can I go explore? They say there's a mummer's show." Benjen bounded around his father, barely able to contain his excitement. "Please!"
Lord Rickard expressed his permission with a wave, but before Benjen could run off he said that he must take his older brother...and of course, once he'd allowed it, Lyanna insisted that she should accompany them, too.
Grudgingly, he allowed them to go as he sought out Hoster Tully to speak of arrangements for Brandon's wedding. The time was drawing near. He had seen the girl in question about the castle and there was no doubt that she was now a woman grown.
As Brandon strode in the direction of the various campfires that had sprung up now that the sky had changed from blue to orange and red, Lyanna and Brandon ran circles around him, laughing and in general high spirits.
As Lyanna tried to catch him, Brandon scooped his youngest brother from his feet and threw him over his shoulder to the sound of much squealing. It wasn't lordly behaviour, but now he was out of his stern father's sight, he wanted to play just as much as the other two wolf cubs.
Then he caught sight of his other brother Ned and Robert Baratheon and put Ben down. Lyanna was the first to reach Ned, running over and embracing him roughly, bringing a smile to his younger brother's face. Brandon laughed to himself as he watched his brother's companion, the stag, turn into a rabbit before his eyes.
If he is going to compete in the melee as he intended, then it might be best for Lyanna to stay away, Brandon thought to himself. Otherwise, Robert Baratheon might shame himself on the field. His younger sister thought ill enough of the fact she had to marry without taking away the comfort of the fact that she was to be wed to a man who could most likely a stronger fighter than her.
Their children will be fierce, Brandon thought to himself, and Storm's End will be a strong ally, should I ever need them.
He looked on in satisfaction when he saw the puckered line under Robert's chin where he had held the sword to it that day, and then paused to speak to them both. Not that Robert spoke much while Lyanna was around, and when his sister and Ben grew restless, he gladly allowed them to explore on their own.
Free of their older brother, Benjen now felt able to confide in Lyanna, his most trusted sibling and partner in most of his mischeifs. He took her hand and dragged her behind him.
"Where are we going?" she said with a laugh.
He stopped long enough to pull something out from beneath his cloak—the jewelled ornament he often wore to fasten his cloak, in the shape of a wolf's head.
"I'm going to sell this."
Lyanna looked puzzled. "Why would you want to sell it?"
Benjen's smile stretched across his face as he prepared to unveil his secret plan. "I need to buy a horse and a suit of armour. I'm entering the lists."
It took a few moments for his sister to believe him, but once she did she laughed. "If I can knock you from your horse what chance will you have against Prince Rhaegar or Ser Barristen Selmy, or a list of other I don't have a care to name...and what will Father say? And you're not a knight."
"Father won't know," Benjen said, slightly less confident than his first admission. "I'm not entering as Benjen of House Stark—I'm going to be a mystery knight."