„Why do they call this place the Red Mountains? These mountains here are not red."Arya stated, as she rode next to Edric. She looked around, curious about everything around her, almost ignorant of her current company and the situation she had gotten herself into.

She knew that she was in danger. She knew from the moment the first Dornishman pointed a spear at her face and declared that she would have to pay for the deeds of her father and his men. She knew that she was a mere prisoner in this new war now, but she tried to hide the fear her captors wanted her to feel. And thanks to Edric, she was at least allowed to ride by herself, without any shackles. Some of her father's men had no such luck. She had not seen them yet, but she heard others around her talk about the other northern prisoners.

"I don't know. I have never asked that question. It is just a name, isn't it?" Edric replied, as he watched Arya carefully. He had risked much, when he kept several very angry men from killing her on the spot. Tensions were still high and she knew that she was not welcome here at all. But Edric had declared her his personal hostage and thereby declared the he would held accountable for anything she would do. He he been a lesser boy and not the future lord of Starfall, she would be either rotting under ground or in a cell at Highgarden. That much was for sure.

"So how much longer until we reach the desert?"

"A day at most. Once we leave the Prince's Pass, we will enter the desert. From there on it will be a long and arduous journey, until we reach the Scourge, one of our major rivers." Edric explained.

"Will we see your home as well? You said that Starfall is not far from here."

"No. It is south of here, but we are directly going to Sunspear, Dorne's capital." Edric hesitated. She did not know why, at least not until he continued, "And there the princess will decide your fate."

"My fate?" She shot back, clearly demanding from him to elaborate. But he wouldn't. Instead he fell silent.

She felt her annoyance rise, as he ignored her. So she let her eyes wander once more. It was a huge assembly of men and horses all around her. All those Dornishmen, who would return to their castles to assemble their armies. Then they would march to war.

War... all these men around her would fight. Against her family. The Starks of Winterfell had no friends here. Only enemies. From the last war and new ones from this young war, which had only started less than a week ago. And her father's friend, this fat king from the south, he would march as well. All of Westeros would see this war firsthand.

Another boy steered his horse towards her and Edric. It was curious, as most others seemed to avoid her as if she had some disease. Though she knew that they still had their eyes on her the entire time. But this boy came closer, but still kept his distance from her. Instead he beckoned Edric over and began talking to him. Too silent for her to hear, no matter how hard she tried. So she settled on scrutinizing the boy. He had similar pale blond hair like Edric and similar eyes. But they boy's eyes were truly like amethysts, whereas Edric's were dark blue and only appeared purple when the light was right. And the boy was obviously better trained than Edric. Just judging by the greatsword he had slung across his back, he had to be much stronger.

She knew that she had seen him before, but she couldn't remember at first. He finally saw her staring at him and shot her an angry glare. There was only loathing in his eyes. It only made her try even more to remember his name, so she would know why he seemed to hate her so. But before she could ponder this any longer, the boy left and Edric returned to her side. But now the young Dayne scowled.

"What is going on?" Arya asked.

"Arthur is... angry. My cousin believes that I am fraternizing with the enemy. He wanted to remind me of my duty to the princess and my family."

Arthur. Now she remembered. That boy was Arthur Lannister, the son of Ser Jaime Lannister, the one her family called the Kingslayer.

"Why does it seem like he hates my guts?"

"Because he does." Edric stated matter of factly. "Your father's men are the reason why his sister is dead." He said the last part almost inaudibly and his face filled with sadness. "Had it not been for your father's men, Joanna would have reached Highgarden in time and the Usurper's goons would not have gotten their hands on her. Don't expect anyone from his family to welcome you with open arms."

Now that was a fact that she was not aware of. How was she supposed to know this? No one except for Edric talked to her. But it did explain much. She had not known the Lannister girl, in fact she had only seen her once, when her brother, Robb, had danced with her during the wedding feast. But she knew that Robb had some sort of interest in her and had made not so subtle inquiries about her, much to their father's chagrin.

"How did she..."

"She burned to death. Like dozens of others. Innocents who have died in their tents, when the Usurper's goons tried to burn everything down, to kill us all. Joanna did not deserve such a fate. She deserved better than that. She was a good girl, with a quick wit. A beautiful girl who would have done great things for her family... She was Princess Rhaenys' sister in all but blood."

Arya listened silently, as she watched the people around her once more. The anger and distrust made much more sense now. But she failed to realize that her situation was indeed very dire. She had the dragon princess herself against her. The only reason why she was still alive was the young boy who rode next to her.

"What about Nymeria?" Arya asked.

"What does Prince Oberyn's daughter have to do with your situation, Arya?"

"No her, my wolf."

"What about your wolf? The beast is in the same cage where you left it, on some cart at the back of this group." Edric replied. "As long as your wolf remains quiet and docile, you won't have to fear for its life."

"You don't know a thing about dire wolves, if you expect Nymeria to be docile," Arya shot back, "She is wild and free."

"No, she is no longer free. The moment your wolf leaves its cage, it will be killed. The guards won't allow such an animal to live anywhere near the princess. Especially not, when it is under the control of an enemy."

"I am not your enemy." Arya replied tersely.

"But your family is. Your father, your brothers, your uncles. All of them are enemies of House Targaryen now and thereby they are enemies of Dorne. Don't expect to find many friends here." Edric told her honestly, though he tried to sound stern. She could only fathom that this was due to his attempt to not raise any suspicions.

"And what are you to me?" She asked the boy. Though she only knew Edric for a few days, she had considered him more of a friend than any of those girls in Winterfell, whom she was supposed to befriend. He trained with her. He did not belittle her because she was a girl. He indulged her, she could freely admit that. But what now, after the start of the war?

Edric hesitated, before he answered. It was plain obvious that he was unsure what he was supposed to answer, but in the end her settled for, "I am your captor and you are my prisoner. Leave it at that, it is safer for the both of us. But now I have to go and see if Ser Jaime has need of me, I fear I have been a bad squire lately." He didn't wait for her reply, instead he steered his horse away from her and towards the large group ahead of them, where Ser Jaime and Princess Rhaenys would most likely be at this time.

For nearly two weeks they continued their journey, through the burning desert of Dorne. They passed the river Wyl and the castle of House Yronwood, the wardens of the Boneway, one of the two major passages through the otherwise impassable Red Mountains of Dorne. But after that they only saw the desert. Sand, sun and even more sand. For the girl who was used to the coldness of the North, the heat was often times unbearable, but she wouldn't allow herself to show weakness in front of her family's enemies. She was a Stark of Winterfell and the Starks are not weak. Not even the women, her aunt Lyanna being the best example for that.

But she also learned rather quickly, that her aunt was a topic better not mentioned in the presence of her current hosts. Though she had not yet been in the direct presence of the dragon princess, Edric had warned her about Rhaenys Targaryen's hatred of the woman who had ruined her family.

On the last day of the second week, they finally reached something new. They had reached the shore of a large river. The Scourge, she remembered its name from Edric's explanations. The boy loved to talk about Dorne. His homeland filled him great pride. But on the other hand he had shown little interest, when she had tried to tell him about the North in return, much to her growing frustration.

It was here, that she got the first chance in many weeks to see her direwolf, Nymeria. The poor animal looked weak and weary, obviously suffering under the heat just as much as she does. The guards who had to take care of the cage and the dangerous animal had finally allowed her to let Nymeria out, though only with a collar and a chain that would keep her close to the cage. But the men made sure that the wolf would be able to get to and into the cool water of the river. Even though they were wary of the dangerous creature, they couldn't stand seeing it suffer any more, something that Arya was quite grateful for.

So she let Nymeria out and into the water, to play and recuperate for some time. But even now there were nearly half a dozen archers around them, waiting for her wolf to make one wrong move.

"We really shouldn't have brought this animal," Edric said, as he watched Nymeria roll around in the shallow water of the Scourge. "A northern animal in the desert, it must be torture for the wolf."

"She would not have parted with me. You would have had to kill her to keep her away." Arya replied, as she watched her wolf with a smile. "But I have to thank these guards for allowing her out of her cage for some time."

"They had their orders to do this," Edric replied quickly.

"Whose?"

"Mine," a man said. Arya turned around and saw the imposing Lannister knight approach.

"Ser Jaime," Edric said quickly and walked over to him. "I had not expected that..."

"I have come to bring the girl to the princess. Rhaenys has finally pulled herself together enough to inspect the prisoners." Ser Jaime frowned, when he saw the look of worry on Edric's face, "Rest assured, that she won't be harmed. She is your prisoner. We are all still grieving, some of us more than others, but harming this girl would not be the justice we seek."

"Don't you mean the vengeance you want from my family?" Arya shot back.

Jaime looked at her quite intently for some moments. She tried to read the emotions in his green eyes, but she was unable to decipher them properly. She knew that the man must still mourn the death of his daughter. Joanna Lannister's demise was a constant source of sadness, gloom and anger in the princess entourage.

"No. We seek justice, not vengeance." Ser Jaime replied solemnly.

"What is the difference?" Arya wanted to know. To her both would lead to the same outcome. Someone would die.

She stumbled a step back, when Ser Jaime suddenly drew his sword and pointed it at her throat, the expression on his face still unreadable. She saw Edric tensing next to her, but the boy wouldn't interfere. He was Ser Jaime's squire after all.

"If I would cut you down where you stand, that would be vengeance for my murdered daughter," His voice was cold, his green eyes staring at her without a hint of remorse. "But that would not be justice. Vengeance is blood for blood, to make someone else suffer for the pain you endured yourself. Justice is punishing the man who has murdered your loved one, not his innocent wife or children." He sheeted his sword, once he had finished speaking, his eyes still not leaving her own gray orbs. "Come now, the princess is waiting."

She saw how the men pulled Nymeria back into her cage, before Ser Jaime led her away. The wolf resisted stubbornly and looked at her for guidance, but she merely shook her head, willing Nymeria to stop struggling for her own sake. The wolf complied, much to her relief.

And so she followed the Lannister knight, past countless guards and servants, who were bustling around in this makeshift camp. Some tents had already been erected and she even heard some of the knights talking about staying her for a day or two, to allow the horses to rest near the water, before they would travel the last part of the way by following the river.

Soon they reached the largest of the tents, the place where Rhaenys Targaryen would receive guest and talk to her men. And she was not disappointed once they were inside. Now, for the first time since she had been captured, she saw the last dragon in Westeros. Rhaenys Targaryen. The princess looked like a vision of the warrior queen Nymeria herself, with her dark hair, hanging heavily in one long braid over her shoulder and tan skin. She was clad in light armor, that seemed to be made out of dark silk and overlapping discs of bright copper, adorned with golden ornaments that depicted both the Dornish Sun and the three headed dragon of House Targaryen. But the princess did not have a sword, but a dagger on her belt. It was enough to make her look dangerous. More so than the Tyrell Lord, who sat below her, in front of the princess' dais. And the knights around her only enhanced this look. But there was a sadness in her amethyst colored eyes, that she was either unable or unwilling to hide.

"Your grace, I have brought the girl as you commanded," Ser Jaime said. But Arya was sure that this politeness seemed awfully forced, as if they only talked like this because she was present. "This is Arya of House Stark, second born daughter of Lord Eddard Stark. She was caught by my squire in the chaos, when the Usurper's murderers burned down the camp."

"Thank you, Ser Jaime." Princess Rhaenys replied regally. Arya was suitably impressed by this girl. If that was what real queens and princesses are like, than Arya would have asked her father long ago to be fostered at some court, where she could learn from true royalty. To her Rhaenys looked like the Rhoynish warrior queen and the dragon riding queen Visenya combined in one person.

Now the princess studied Arya silently for some moments, before she spoke, "So you are the girl that young Edric Dayne has captured. I was... surprised to hear that he had managed such a feat amidst the chaos. Tell me, girl, why were you not with your father, when he and his murderer of a king decided to burn down a camp full of innocent civilians?"

"My father would never do such a thing! He is a man of honor!"

"Honor?" Rhaenys said with a mocking laugh, "I think not. There was no honor in his actions lately. One hundred and thirteen."

"What?" Arya asked confused.

"Victims, young Stark. One hundred and thirteen people have died during the fire your father's men and those of the Usurper have started. My own sister among them." Rhaenys voice nearly halted during that last admission. Sadness and anger were mixed in that voice. "So tell me, why were you not with your murderer of a father? Did he send you with his men, so you could learn firsthand what those rebels do with people who do not accept their rule? Or were you a thorn in your father's side, so he decided to get rid of you? Tell me, Arya Stark, what was your role in all of this?"

"My father loves me and my siblings. He loves all of us and would rather die than see us harmed. And he would have never allowed the murder of innocents to happen!" Arya protested loudly. But no one seemed to believe her. No one except for one old knight, who stood with Ser Jaime, next to the princess. And she knew this man, he had been a Kingsguard. Ser Barristan Selmy. But now he had obviously switched sides.

"Your grace, the girl speaks the truth I believe. You may think what you want about Eddard Stark, but a murderer he is not. When I left to come to your aid, I had warned him of the Usurper's plans. He was most distressed and went to confront his... friend about this." Ser Barristan said calmly.

The princess looked critically at him, clearly not believing him, "I wish I could believe you, but I can't. Not this time, Ser Barristan," Rhaenys said, her voice still full of troubling emotions.

"Your grace, I speak the truth. By my honor..."

"Honor, Ser Barristan? It took you fourteen years to see where your loyalties should lie. And even now you rush to the defense of my enemies." Rhaenys interjected angrily, "I had promised to exile you, should your fate ever become mine to decide. Please don't make me regret going back on that promise. Not when we do have the proof of Lord Stark's crimes." She looked towards her uncle, before she continued, "Uncle, please have them bring the other prisoner."

Arya watched as Oberyn Martell left the tent quickly, only to return moments later with a man in chains. A man Arya knew very well.

"Jory!" The captain of her father's household guard, Jory Cassel. But why was he here? How had they capture him? Had they fought against her father, possibly wounding him and her brothers in the process? Jory shouldn't have been far from them at any time. He was supposed to guard her family. Now she worried whether he father and brothers were still alive and fine.

"Yes, Arya Stark. Your father's man. One of those who had intercepted my sister on her way to Highgarden. One of those who are responsible for Joanna's death." Rhaenys spat.

The entire atmosphere in the tent became even more hostile, when Jory had been brought. The man looked beaten and tired. It was plain obvious that he had suffered a far worse treatment than she did, during his captivity. But no one here pitied him. There was only hatred for the man.

"So you see, Ser Barristan, there is our proof, that Eddard Stark was not innocent in all of this. This man is the living proof that he supported the attempt to kill us all with that fire. He and his men had obviously been sent to stop all those who would have tried to flee towards Highgarden." Rhaenys told the old knight. And Ser Barristan was obviously at loss for words. He looked shocked at the man, whom he know to be a loyal servant of Ned Stark.

"If the girl does not talk, maybe this man will. So tell us, Jory Cassel, what were your orders? How many innocents were you told to slaughter, before you would have been allowed to retreat with the fat Usurper's ilk?"

"Our lord had not given us the order to kill anyone. Our order had been to find young Lady Arya and bring her back to him." Jory said weakly. Arya was sure that every word caused him pain. Just by looking at him it was easy to see that he had been abused by his captors in some way. They would not even need to beat him, in the heat of the desert neglect was worse than physical punishment. Edric taken care of her and offered her water, food and shelter. Jory most likely had only little of that.

"Liar! You killed my sister, you damn bastard! If I had my way, you would be dead. You, that wolf bitch next to you and all of your northern folk! You are murderers and oath breakers." Arya looked critically at the boy who had spoken. It was Arthur Lannister, Ser Jaime's son, who had not missed a single chance to glare at her in those past weeks of their travel. The boy was livid, his violet eyes shining with the fury of an enraged lion.

"Arthur, this is enough!" The princess chided the boy gently, "We all mourn Joanna, but vengeance won't bring her back. Don't allow your hatred to blind you."

"But Rhaenys... they... they murdered my sister. Our sister! They burned her, so there was nothing left but ashes! You can't possibly..." The boy was more distraught than angry now and Arya truly pitied him. She wasn't close to her own sister, but she would also want vengeance, had someone murdered her sister in such a way.

The princess rose from her seat and walked the few steps the boy was away from her. She hugged the younger boy and whispered something in his ear. It seemed to calm him, but when Arthur looked at her again, Arya could still see the burning hatred in his eyes. She knew that this lion would not give up, until he had his justice, whatever that may be. But when the princess let go of him, he quickly left the tent. Rhaenys could merely sigh, as she returned to her seat.

"Uncle, please take care of him. Don't leave him alone with his anger... Maybe... maybe you should leave now and take him with you to the east, before he gets home to Sunspear, where everything reminds him of Joanna."

"I will. We will leave immediately." Oberyn Martell replied, before he took his leave as well.

For some moments no one dared to speak, until a pained groan from Jory ended the silence. Once more he was at the center of the attention now. And all this attention would not bode well for him.

"Ser Jaime, it was your daughter who has perished due to this man's actions. What would you have me do with him?" Rhaenys asked her knight formally.

Jaime Lannister did not answer immediately, instead he approached Arya and Jory, walking around them at a slow pace. "As a grieving father I want him dead, executed on the spot for his part in this tragedy. But... but that would not be justice, it would be vengeance. I cannot say whether he spoke the truth or lied to us. But I know that I cannot decide his fate. My judgment would always be vengeance."

The princess nodded thoughtfully and even the old knight beside her looked at Ser Jaime with approval. "So be it. I cannot judge him either, for the same reason as yours. My uncle Doran shall decide his fate, as Joanna was not a family member of his, but one of his subjects." Rhaenys declared, "Guards, take this man away... but feed him and give him enough water this time. There would be little sense in letting him live now, when you let him die on our way to Sunspear." Two guardsmen came and dragged Jory away.

"And what about me?" Arya dared to ask. She was glad that they had not killed Jory, for she had come to like the loyal man. And if his words were true, it was her fault that he was here to begin with. Had she not left her father's camp, despite her promise to Jon, none of this would have happened to her and to him.

"What about you indeed." Rhaenys echoed thoughtfully. "Edric Dayne,"

"Yes, your grace," Arya had not even seen Edric enter the tent. She had thought, that he had stayed behind with her wolf and the guards who kept an eye on Nymeria.

"The girl is your prisoner, has she caused you any trouble?"

"No, your grace, she has been most cooperative." Edric replied. Arya wasn't so sure about his definition of cooperative. She was sure that she had caused him plenty of trouble and headaches in those past weeks. She had constantly bothered him with question and badgered him to train with her, despite his claim that it would be too dangerous for her to pick up a weapon as long as she was a prisoner here.

"So tell us, Arya Stark, why were you not with your father at the time of fire?" Rhaenys asked once more.

"I... snuck away without his knowledge." She admitted guiltily. "I wanted to train, but no one at home or at my father's camp would teach me anything. They only told me that it was unbecoming of a lady to fight and that I should rather sit with the other ladies and embroider something."

Someone chuckled near her and she could see even a hint of amusement on the princess' face. "A belligerent girl. Under other circumstances Dorne would have suited you well." Rhaenys said, "But now your family is our enemy once more and we cannot trust you, though I do believe you. But alas... Edric, she will remain in your custody. Do with her what you want, but you are responsible for her actions. Do not disappoint me."

"Yes, your grace." Edric replied quickly and dutifully.

"Good. You are dismissed." She motioned for Arya to leave and Edric was quickly by her side to guide her back outside. Arya looked one more time at this dragon princess and she was truly impressed. The rumors she heard about this girl in the North did not do her justice in the slightest. If only her father and his lords would know this. There was no insanity, no lust for fire and vengeance, only a princess and her pursuit of justice.

"Come," Edric said, as he lead her back to Nymeria's cage. "This went better than I had expected."

"She is... impressive. I had expected the princess to be a spoiled child like my sister Sansa, but she was awe inspiring."Arya admitted freely.

"The princess had to realize that her only chance to protect those she loves, is to fight. But she does not allow grief and anger to consume her. Ser Jaime and Ser Barristan had talked to her for many hours, to convince her that vengeance is beneath her. She embraces her heritage and her role in this war. She will lead her armies to victory, I have no doubt about this." Edric replied, his voice full of pride. "If she manages to stay like this, the remaining lords will flock to her banner and accept the true and rightful rulers of the realm once more."

"But my family..."

"Princess Rhaenys is just, you have seen it right now. Maybe you can convince her to show your family clemency. Not for your father, but for your brothers."

She merely nodded. Maybe Edric was right. But how was she supposed to convince Rhaenys Targaryen to show leniency to her family? And would she really need to? What if her father and King Robert won the war? What would they do with this princess? She really did not want to see Rhaenys Targaryen harmed or killed, if this girl would be able to back up her words with real actions, Arya might just have met a new role model.

Only a week later they had arrived Sunspear, always following the rivers, first the Scourge, later the murky Greenblood. Arya could see that there was a sense of urgency in the actions of the men and women around her, as if they had no more time to waste on idle traveling through Dorne.

As the rode through the streets of the city, people stopped whatever they were doing and came to see, cheering for the princess. Arya could see Rhaenys from her place in the group. She rode in front of all others, waving at her people, greeting them as she passed. One had to be blind, not to see that the Dornishmen adored their dragon princess.

She would have liked to see more of this dornish city, to explored it fully, but too soon their group had reached the Tower of the Sun, where Prince Doran was waiting for them. The Tower was an impressive building, with a giant dome of gold and leaded glass, shining brightly in the sun. And the inside was just as impressive, as they walked into a throne room, where she could see the thrones of Dorne. Winterfell had only one, the throne for the King of North, but Dorne had two, much to her amazement. But only one was occupied by an old looking man, who watched the group grimly.

"Uncle, we have returned. Though I wish the circumstances of our return were happier than this." The princess said, as she approached the man on the throne.

So this was Prince Doran Martell, a man Arya only knew from the lectures of Maester Luwin. He was an old man, whose only expression seemed to be a grim half-glare. She wondered how old he really was, due to his gray hair and his obvious trouble with standing up to greet his niece properly.

"Welcome home, Rhaenys. I have already begun with the final preparations for the war, after you had send the messengers. Come, we have much to discuss." Prince Doran left the room slowly, accompanied by several men, who Arya could only assume were his advisers. Rhaenys followed him, together with Ser Jaime and Ser Barristan. The entire group slowly dispersed all around her, until only few were left.

"Mama," She heard a small child call out. She looked around and finally saw a small boy, with golden hair and familiar green eyes running towards a woman from the traveling group. Only late during their travel, Arya had learned that this woman was Ser Jaime's wife, Allyria Dayne. But the noble woman usually gave her a wide berth. She could only imagine that this woman had the same reason as her son to hate her. But now the woman was openly crying, as she hugged her son closely to her chest. Moments later a regal looking dornish woman appeared with another golden haired child, a girl this time, who quickly followed the boy's example and ran to her mother.

There were several more children with the dornish woman, but all of the had the typical dark hair and olive skin of the Salt Dornish people. One of them, a girl who looked to be slightly older than her, approached her and Edric, a determined look on her face. But much to her surprise, the girl ignored her completely and hit Edric instead, with a punch to his arm.

"Ouch, what was that for, Elia?" Edric exclaimed.

"That was for leaving me behind, when you promised to convince my father to allow me to come to the tourney." The girl, Elia, exclaimed angrily. "Now you have to make it up to me."

"I don't have the time, Elia. I have to take care of..."

"I don't care. We joust, now! You owe me that much. Don't you dare run away again." The girl insisted stubbornly, before she left the room, clearly expecting Edric to follow. But the boy merely sighed in annoyance.

"Who was that?"

"Elia Sand, Prince Oberyn's fifth daughter. She tends to be... troublesome. People sometimes call her Lady Lance, due to her love for jousting." Edric said. "We'd better follow her, ignoring this issue will only make her try harder to get into a fight."

"Is this normal behavior here in Dorne?" Arya asked curiously.

"Only when you are in league with the Sand Snakes." Edric said, as they slowly walked towards the stables. There they could see Elia, already standing next to a black stallion, adorning a thick leather training armor.

For the rest of that day, Arya would spend her time watching Edric getting thrown off his horse by the belligerent girl. It was in such a moment, where Arya wished she could forget the war. She really would have loved to come here under other circumstances. Dorne was already that much more interesting than Winterfell, where people would try to make a lady out of her. But alas, her family was on the other side of the war against Dorne and she was a prisoner. But that wouldn't stop her from trying to learn jousting, just like this girl.