CHAPTER FOUR

Prince Obyren arrived in his typical showy fashion, accompanied by his paramours and his four remaining daughters; Tyene at four and ten, nine year old Sarella, four year old Elia, and two year old Obella. Jon had left protocol behind and ran straight into his gofather's waiting arms. When the man released him, the little boy happily kissed Ellaria and each of the Sand Snakes, offering a smile and genuine words of greeting. Next, Nymeria and Obara approached their family, their interactions far more tempered by time and experience.

The younger Dornish prince had brought gifts for the children of Starfall, and even ones for those from the North. After everyone was ushered into the lady's study, Oberyn emptied his bag of all kinds of goodies for the little people. He had done he best to guess at gifts for the children that he had no knowledge of; a toy soldier for Robb, a beautiful Meereenese silk dress for Sansa, a stuffed dragon for Arya, and even an embroidered blanket for baby Brandon. For the children that he was more familiar with, he had looked long and hard for things that he knew that they would like; a dragon glass tipped spear for Obara, a necklace of rare emeralds from the Shadow Lands for Nymeria, who would never admit that she loved pretty things, a delicately made porcelain doll from Volantis for Elena, and, lastly, for Jon a short bastard sword made of Valyrian steel. There were very few such weapons left in the entire world and the little boy practically squealed at the sight of it.

"Uncle Oberyn! How did you get this?" Jon once again threw his arms around the man that he now officially worshipped.

The boy's godfather smiled indulgently at him and said, "I've been searching for that specific piece for a few years. I actually had to have it recrafted, but finding that much Valyrian steel was difficult. Look, I had it modeled after Dawn."

The Dayne's ancestral greatsword was made from the heart of a fallen star so the dark Valyrian steel did not look exactly like it, but Jon could see what his uncle had done. The hilt, pommel, cross guard, and shape of the blade were all a miniature version of the greatsword. Though it was a bastard sword, it was still too large for the little boy. He could not, however, complain. He merely stated that he would practice with it every day until he was strong enough to wield it in battle. No one doubted that he would do just that.

Without knowledge of the boy's presence, or even existence, Oberyn had not known to bring anything for Corren. Instead, he took the two gold-crusted daggers from his belt and handed them to the bastard, sheaths and all. They may not have been Valyrian steel but they had been made in Braavos by one of the best blacksmiths in the world. The superior make and craftsmanship of the weapons took Corren by surprise and he attempted to give them back, saying, "But, I'm just a bastard."

The prince just smiled at him and said gently, "Surely, you will have noticed that things are done differently here. Have you met Obara and Nymeria?" He received a firm nod and a smile, indicating that the child was already taken with the teenage girls. "You see, they are what you northerners call bastards, but I would be willing to bet that you have not seen anyone treat them unfairly. You are in Dorne now, and here you will be loved and cherished." Corren beamed at him, and the man knew that he had one the young boy's heart.

Obara, Corren, and Jon were far too excited to practice with their new weapons to do anything else, and so Oberyn led them, Nymeria, Tyene, and Sarella down to the yard, Robb not too far behind. The Sand Snakes all used daggers, save Obara, but it was Sarella that decided she would be the one to train Corren. The pale boy was a horrible blushing mess around the girl but, somehow, managed to pay enough attention to actually learn something. What he found was that, though he had been training with longswords his whole life, his skills were much better suited to dual wielding.

Ser Rodrik continued to help train Jon, as he was the person at Starfall most well versed in northern short swords, but the boy waited with barely contained anticipation for the return of his uncle. He wanted to show the man his miniature version, as well as finally learn directly from the Sword of the Morning. His uncle was a swordsman unmatched by any, save Ser Barristan the Bold and the now deceased Prince Rhaegar. The Young Dragon would consider it an honor to learn from him.

As much as Jon was looking forward to seeing his uncle, he was equally dreading the arrival of Starfall's other guests, the Tyrells of Highgarden. Ever since his fourth nameday, he had been told that he was to marry their only daughter, Margaery. He had never met the girl and, as a fiercely independent little boy, had no desire to. Being wed to a stranger was the last thing that he wanted, though it seemed that his wants were not being taken into consideration. He would sooner agree to marry his new friend Robb. Never would he admit that, for all of his talk, he was simply nervous and scared.

No one in Starfall was able to find Jon when news of the Tyerlls' approach reached the castle. Checking all of his usual hiding places, they found them curiously empty, and even Nymeria and Obara were not able to locate their young friend. Lord and Lady Qorgyle were beside themselves that they would have to meet their guests without their only son, but there was little that they could do. Both parents knew that the boy would show up eventually, whenever he decided that meeting these new strangers was not truly that bad.

Jon was holed up in his uncle's now dusty chambers, watching through the window as his family greeted their new guests. They were a pretentious lot, from what he could see, and he had never done well with people like that. His parents had raised him to be free spirited, even a little bit wild, and so he had never gotten along with the nobles from outside of Dorne. Even Lord and Lady Stark looked down on him, though they tried their best to hide it.

When everyone else went inside the castle, the boy thought that it was safe to sneak out of the used chambers and return to his own. Anyone that could possibly be searching for him were far too preoccupied with the Tyrells to find him for quite some time. His bare feet made no noise as he crept through the halls, though his mind was elsewhere and he was not paying attention to his surroundings as he should have been. Jon rounded a corner and collided with another body his size, knocking them both to the ground

Ever the gentleman, even when he was dressed like a peasant, he stood quickly to help the person that he had struck up from the ground. That was when he saw her, the beautiful girl that he was meant to spend the rest of his life with. Long, curly, honey brown hair fell past her shoulders and she wore a cream colored that was light and flowing, held aloft by two thin straps. Still, the most striking thing about her was her eyes. The color of freshly melted chocolate, they swirled with a certain happiness that reminded Jon of his mother.

Realizing that he had been staring, he helped her up and said, "I'm so sorry, m'lady. I didn't see you coming."

"It's okay," the girl smiled back reassuringly. "I just arrived here and I don't really know my way around. Or the people. Who are you?"

"Oh, um…" The boy did not know what to say. Did he tell her the truth and give himself away, or did he give her an empty lie and hope that she told him the truth? "Yeah, I'm not so good at lying. My name is Jon Qorgyle, and you are?"

Her face lit up at the mention of his identity and it worried him. "Oh, thank the gods, I was so afraid that you would be ugly." Though the girl looked utterly giddy, the boy just appeared confused. "I'm sorry, I'm Margaery Tyrell."

Then, as if someone had physically hit him, Jon backed away from the girl. This was her, the girl that his parents wanted him to marry. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't know." He was beside himself, as he had actually thought that she was pretty.

"It's okay." She flashed him a disarmingly charming smile that showed off two deep dimples and perfectly white teeth. "You know, you're kinda cute."

A crimson blush spread across his cheeks. He did not want her to think that he was cute, but, on some level, he did. He certainly thought that she was cute. "Oh, um, thanks, I guess. You're, uh, really pretty."

Margaery smiled happily and went to say something, but she was interrupted by the sound of uneven footsteps. Coming down the hall was the shortest man that Jon had ever seen, being even smaller than the seven year old himself. Clearly a dwarf, he was also not particularly attractive, though at least he was not ugly. His eyes were a subtle blye and his hair was so blonde that it was white. When he reached the two children, he looked up at the girl and said, "You father is looking for you."

"I'm sorry, Tyrion," the girl smiled at the dwarf fondly. She thought of him as simply another one of her older brothers, even though she already had three. "I had to make water and I'm afraid I got lost. I was looking for the way back when I ran into Jon."

She gestured to the other boy, meaning that he had to introduce himself, "I am Jon Qorgyle, eldest child of Lord Gulian Qorgyle and Lady Ashara Dayne."

"Tyrion Lannister," the dwarf said, shaking Jon's hand. His last name took the boy by surprise.

"We don't see many Lannisters in Dorne."

"I'm a ward of Lord and Lady Tyrell, I have been for almost ten years. I like to consider myself more of a Tyrell than a Lannister, at least at this point. By the way, your lady mother and two heavily armed girls were looking for you."

"That'll be Nym and Obara. You didn't happen to see Prince Oberyn as well, did you?"

"I did, he's in the library with your father and my host family. That is where we should be heading, actually. Unless you would like us to forget that we ever saw you."

While he was touched by the dwarf's offer, Jon felt that running away and hiding was a rather moot point after he had already met his betrothed. "I've been away too long. If I stay hidden any longer, Nym might kill me." He was laughing, but something in his eyes made the other boy realize that he was serious. In a move most uncharacteristic of the boy of Starfall, he offered his wife to be his arm. "Would you like an escort, m'lady?" his lower class manner of speaking rather matched what he wore, a simple, sleeveless white tunic and purple knee length pants, and neither of the visitors would have believed who he was had they not heard of the boy's… oddness.

The three were almost to the library when Nymeria found them, immediately rounding on her young friend. She was going to launch into a rant when she noticed the two that accompanied her favorite little boy. The little girl hung on his arm could but none other than Margaery Tyrell, but the dwarf…

"I'm sorry, Nym. I was gonna come, but…" Jon trailed off.

She knew that he was nervous. Of course she did, she was his best friend. She could not begrudge him for feeling that way, and so she soothed, "It's alright, Little Spear. I forgive you, though I'm not sure Obara or your mother will be so easy. Now, who are our guests?"

"Oh yeah, sorry. Nym, this is Margaery Tyrell and Tyrion Lannister, a ward of the Tyrells. You guys, this is Nymeria Sand, one of my parents' wards and my very best friend."

The bastard smiled indulgently at her young friend. She had been absolutely enamored with him since the very first day that they met, and he was still just as charming as he had been then, in a roguish, street kid sort of way. "It is a pleasure to meet you. Shall I take you all to Lord Gulian or Lady Ashara?" Though she was asking the two visitors, her questions was directed at the little boy with the toothy grin. She was asking him which of his parent's wrath he would rather face first.

"I'm sure Mama is out looking for me, and I'm sure she'd hate to be there when I've been found." His mother had always been more forgiving of his antics, seeing some of her young rebellious self in him. They found her and Obara a few corridors from the library, the younger of the two scowling at her sister and young friend. Jon ran into his mother's waiting arms. "Mama, there you are! I'm so sorry, Mama. I am."

Ashara smiled at her son, knowing that she could not get angry with him no matter how hard she tried. Looking back to see that he had already met his betrothed, and she felt that everything had worked out in the end. She said, "It's alright, my love. I see you've already met Margaery and Tyrion. We should introduce you to the others."

In the library, the Starks and the Tyrells were conversing with Gulian. Lord and Lady Tyrell's three sons were all older than Jon, and each was more different than the last. The oldest, Willas, was age four and ten with brown hair, dark brown eyes, and a kind face. Garlan, the middle son, was broadly built and, at only three and ten years, he was already rather muscular. His brown hair was kept short, abnormal for someone from the Reach, but it left his shining golden eyes on full display. The youngest son was only a year older than Jon but he was already so… pretty, for that was the only way to describe him. Long, curly brown hair framed a cherubic face with those same golden eyes, shining brightly in the afternoon light that came flittering in from the window.

Jon was rather unimpressed with them, especially stood next to the beautiful Margaery and Tyrion, who held such wisdom in his eyes. The boy knew that he would be friends with those two, at the very least. Ashara released her son, Margaery, Robb, Sarella, and Corren out to the gardens, under the supervision of Tyrion and Nymeria.

The dwarf had to admit, he was extremely fascinated with the illegitimate daughter that sat beside him. She was beautiful, no one could deny that, and, though he could certainly appreciate beauty, there was something else about her that drew him in. Perhaps it was her sharp wit or the way that she had with the children, especially young Jon. Either way, Tyrion was entranced. He could only pray that his interest in the deadly assassin resolved itself soon.