Wife of the Wolf, Husband of the Sun

Chapter Thirty-Two.

The snow fell softly outside and Ashara watched as it fell to the ground with a sad smile, the snow was beautiful and the way it gently covered the roofs of Winterfell's towers made the ancient castle seem even more beautiful, and mysterious, than it was normally. Ever since she had come North with Elia she had been surprised by how often it snowed, it was the time for it of course but it made her long for spring.

Of course, she had heard that it snowed in the north even when it was summer but the winter was almost unbearable even as it cast them into a beautiful and silent world, you would never be able to tell that there was such unease and sadness and anger inside the ancient castle. Ashara stood with a sigh and wrapped the blanket tightly around herself and shut the window's shutters.

Ashara's room had some of the piping that carried the hot water of the springs up and around the great castle but it still wasn't one of the hottest rooms and on cold days it made little difference so she had taken to keeping her blanket wrapped around her even when in her thickest furs, she was Dornish. It never snowed in Dorne and she wasn't used to it.

She had seen snow before of course, once she and Arthur had gone to the Vale with their older brother to meet old Lord Jon Arryn, Ashara wasn't so blind as to not know why they hadn't gone. You didn't just pass that amount of distance without some reason behind it, it was about a betrothal. Ashara still didn't quite know the full details of the possible match but she had to assume she was going to marry either the old lord, or more likely his heir, his young nephew Elbert Arryn.

Lord Arryn and his nephew had both been very kind to her, the nephew was quite a skilled knight and was not unbearable to look upon and while Lord Arryn was certainly an old man it was clear to look at him that he had been a handsome man in his youth, she had dinner with the both of them together and found them both to be pleasant enough men and the Eyrie was a very pleasant castle, even through going up and down the mountain might kill her just from the fear of it.

She could've been quite content there with either of the Arryn men as her husband, but she did not wish to be content. She wanted to be happy, besides the Vale was not Dorne and she certainly got the feeling that neither of them would want her to bring her bastard daughter with her and she would never leave Lauryn, not for anything in this world.

Thankfully, her older brothers were not such fools as to make her try and do something that she did not want to do, and so her eldest brother had firmly but respectfully had told them that no marriage would come of this the night before they had left to go back to Dorne. When she had finally returned to Dorne she had only stayed a few days with Lauryn until she was sent to King's Landing to serve the queen until Prince Doran had summoned her back.

When he had told her that he was sending her north with Elia, and that he wanted her to take Lauryn with her, she wasn't sure what to think, she couldn't deny him. He was her prince and she was a dornishwoman but taking Lauryn with her meant that Brandon would see her. She never wanted to Brandon to see the girl, he had no claim to her.

She remembered the night he had help create her well enough, it had been a night that she had quite a few fond memories of but those memories had been soured when she realised that she was with child. Not because she resented her daughter in any way, she had loved her from the moment she had held her in her arms and knew that she was utterly perfect. Ashara would've changed nothing about her.

No, what soiled the memories of that night was the fact that her daughter would never get to know her father. She had never intended for a child to be created that night, Ashara was no fool as to be taken in by a charming man's words but Brandon Stark was one of the most handsome men she had ever looked upon and he could actually be quite charming when he wanted to be and he wanted to be when he thought that he had a chance of having her in his bed for the night.

Ashara wasn't a fool, she knew how beautiful she was and that plenty of men wanted to boast that they had the maid of Starfall in their bed, perhaps a tiny part of her had wanted to brag that she had the wild wolf of Winterfell in her bed. It had been at a small feast that had been held at Castle Stockworth, Lady Tanda Stokeworth was trying to find a match for her younger daughter Lollys, she was a pretty girl from what Ashara could remember but she had been a little overweight and she was lacking in wits though she was a sweet girl with a gentle heart and the way she had smiled when she saw all the people who had come to see her than it made up for any shortcomings, that sheer joy had made her the most beautiful girl in the world.

Ashara liked her more than she did her older sister, Falyse, at any rate. An unpleasant woman who resembled a fish and who sneered at those she thought were below her and pleaded for the attention and favour of those she knew was above her, her husband wasn't much better, a sour knight whose name that Ashara couldn't remember on the top of her head.

Ashara had still been serving the Queen at that point and she had been invited by Lady Tanda to attend the feast so Ashara had attended with her along with two of her other ladies, she had tried to keep her head down as she didn't want to steal any attention away from Lollys but when someone had come to speak with her it wasn't as if she could ignore them so she had locked up to meet eyes with the wild wolf himself.

She had met Brandon before that night, although met was perhaps a generous way of putting it, at some tourney or other so she knew who he was so she didn't understand why the heir to Winterfell was attending a feast in honour of the second born daughter of a house sworn to King's Landing, he couldn't seriously be considering taking Lollys Stokeworth for a wife.

Not that the poor girl didn't deserve a good match to be certain but Brandon was going to be the Lord Paramount of the North one day and more than likely would be the warden of the North as well, it was a match that would certainly make Lady Tanda happy but she couldn't understand why Lord Brandon's father would want his son to marry a lady from House Stokeworth.

They weren't a particularly old or powerful family, nor did they have a great deal of money. There was no reason why House Stokeworth would be of any benefit to House Stark so there was no reason for them to be wed and as much as she hated to admit it she doubted that poor Lollys was quite Lord Brandon's favourite sort to conquer so she doubted that lust was the reason he was here.

Still, it wasn't as if she could ask him what he had been doing there as she didn't have a right to know anyway. Brandon had asked if he could have her for a dance and Ashara would've said yes but as a lady in service to a queen she couldn't say yes to him on her own, thankfully Queen Rhaella was kind and understanding and allowed her to share a dance with Brandon.

The one dance soon turned into two, and those two soon turned into five and she soon found herself sitting at Brandon's table and drinking with him, enjoying his company far more than she thought she would. She knew that it wasn't suitable for a queen's lady to be sitting with a man that she wasn't married too but Queen Rhaella hadn't seemed to mind as she had been too busy talking with Lady Tanda about something or other to pay much attention to what her ladies or handmaidens were doing.

The feast had been going on long into the night and Lady Tanda was a generous host, and willing to do anything to impress her queen, and she had been keeping the wine flowing and the food plentiful. Plenty of men and women were deep in their cups that night and she was certain, looking back that plenty of bastards had been made that night.

She just hadn't thought that at the time that she would be one of the ladies walking away with an interesting new addition to her family, but she had found herself unable to pull herself away from Brandon Stark. As time passed and more and more lords and ladies left the hall to go to their rooms for the night Brandon had decided that it was time for him to retire but as he stood to his full height he held his hand out for her to take.

A part of her knew then and there that she should have refused him, she had been too familiar with him as it was but as she looked at the High Table where the queen was engrossed in conversation with another of her ladies then turning to speak with Lady Tanda and thinking on just how long it had been since she had been able to partake in this pleasure, it had all been too much and she took his hand.

The next memories were hazy and Ashara wasn't certain if that was to due with the pleasure she had felt or do the wine she had drunk, what she did know was that from what she could remember it was one of the most pleasurable nights that Ashara could remember. She could remember Brandon freeing her from her dressed and taking off his silk shirt and breeches, watching as the light of the fire play across the muscles of his chest, the sight caused her mouth to water far more than the strawberries and cream they had for desert.

It had certainly not been the greatest pleasure she had, she was certain that Dornishmen remained the most supreme lovers in all the land but Brandon had a stamina that she had enjoyed, he seemed unable to get enough of her. They laid together after they had finished, the light of the fire warming them and Brandon's strong arms holding her tight to his chest. She had been surprised by how gentle the northman had been, not just during the act but after it as well.

As much as she would've liked to stay she knew that she couldn't, she was certain that Queen Rhella would understand but it would be for the best if she was back before anyone noticed that she was gone. She slipped out of Brandon's hold and quickly pulled her dress back on, she had been lucky as she had managed not to disturb him as she finished dressing and slipped out of the room.

She returned to the hall only to find it empty, save for a few servants who had decided to get ahead of the cleaning for tomorrow and to sneak a few choice morsels off of the plates that the lords and ladies had left. She had left them too it and made her way to the chambers which had been given to the queen to sleep in, she walked in just in time to see that the queen was sitting in front of the mirror, one of her favourite handmaidens was freeing her hair from her braids and the queen did not turn to look at her, simply gazed at Ashara's reflection in the mirror. "You did nothing to shame me I trust, yes Ashara? A queen surrounds herself with ladies, not whores."

The disapproval in the queen's tone both hurt and surprised but she simply nodded and her queen dismissed her to go to her room, she knew that she shouldn't have been surprised looking back on it as at the time she had still been clinging to the idea that the rest of the kingdoms were like Dorne but of course they weren't and only looking back had she realised how foolish she had been, she could've been dismissed right there and then.

Still, when she woke in the morning and went to break her fast with her queen and her other ladies the queen had smiled at her warmly as if nothing had ever happened. Ashara did not see Brandon again that day or the next or on the day that the queen finally decided that it was time to return to King's Landing, even as she was clearly dreading it.

The king had not been pleased to see his wife again, he barely seemed to notice her at the best of times. At the worst of times he was glad to see her, it meant that he could have his fun with her and no one would even try to stop her not even his kingsguard, who were sworn to protect her as their queen and sworn by their vows as knights to protect women. It did not sit well with her that Arthur, her own dear brother, was part of that. The thought of him, her gallant and favourite brother who taught her how to dance and would twist flowers to make her a crown for her hair when she had been little, would stand by and listen as the queen was raped and hurt by her own husband made bile burn at her throat.

She knew that he couldn't do anything, of course. He had sworn oaths to his king, to serve him and protect him above any other. He could not disobey him, or harm him or kill him for that would make him an oathbreaker, a kingslayer and there was no one more accursed in all the world even though that even back then she thought that if any kind deserved a sword being shoved into his back then it was the Scab King.

For the months that had followed she keep the queen's company and everything seemed fine until one day she woke and her stomach had been in disagreement with her and she had emptied what had been left of her dinner from the previous night into the chamber pot. She had never been with child before but she had seen when her mother was pregnant with her younger sister and she knew the signs well enough.

If she had half the sense the gods had given a pig then she would've brewed some moon tea and have done with it but she hadn't done that, she didn't want to do that. As she had stared down into her chamber pot with the taste of bile still on her lips her thoughts had turned back to her own childhood, she had thought of Elia and herself when they had both been girls in the Water Gardens, splashing and swimming in the pools and running down the pale pink stone. Elia had not often been allowed to play due to how frail she was as a child but Ashara had always stayed close to her and when she was allowed to play it was the most fun that Ashara had ever had, aside from when she played with Arthur.

As they had grown up together they had spoken about who they hoped to marry, Ashara had whispered into her ear that she would not mind marrying Oberyn as then she and Elia would truly be sisters then. Elia had laughed at her and told her they were already sisters, and then she pushed her into a pool. They had also spoke of how when they had their own children about how they would play in the Water Gardens just as they did.

She had known that it was foolish, Elia had no children and she was not even married at the time though whispers had been going around the Red Keep as they always did that with the late Lord and Lady Baratheon having failed in their mission to find a Valyrian bride for their prince, the king was growing more restless and might settle for betrothing his son to Elia due to the valyrian blood present in House Martell. The words had made Ashara angry when she had heard them, it still made her angry to think on them even now. No man would settle for a princess of Dorne, no man would settle for Elia. They would be blessed by the gods to have her. Regardless she would have children soon enough and Ashara wanted their children to be as close as siblings, this would be the first child to do so and she was not shamed that she was with child, it was the people in the Red Keep who would shame.

Her brothers would not turn their backs on her, Arthur had always been her champion. Her defender, like Elia and Oberyn there was only a year between and while Arnold might sneer and grumble and even yell at her he would not forbid her from his halls, nor any child of her body and he would ask no questions which was good as if he did ask and he learned of Brandon then it could end in blood, so many forget that the Daynes were Dornish due to their Andel blood which made their skin light but they were still Dornishmen and a Dornishman's temper was a terrible thing.

She had gone to the queen that morning and asked if she might be allowed leave to go and visit her family, for close to a year. The queen had been silent and she was certain that her ladies and handmaidens had simply the best time gossiping behind her back but she didn't care a whit for them, not one whit about what they thought of her. The queen had given her leave to go but made certain that Ashara swore that she would not return until a year had passed, and she would return alone.

It wasn't the most subtle of warnings but Ashara had heeded it all the same, within a fortnight her trunks were packed and she was back on her way to Starfall. Arthur, who had been given leave by the king to return for Starfall for a few weeks although he would be returning two days after she had arrived, had greeted her with a hug and a kiss to both her cheeks, Arnold had been colder but he had always been that way for as long as she could remember, ever since Ashara had been born her elder brother had been the young lord, the lord in training ready to take over for their father. It saddened her to be certain but at times it was hard to even think of him as a brother, still he had a kiss for her.

Allyria greeted her warmly enough but they had never been very close to one another, it saddened her to say. Elia had beaten the poor girl to the punch at being her sister and when Ashara thought of her sister Elia would always be the face that came to her mind before any other. Her father was dead long before she had left to serve the queen and her mother had never truly left her grief, though Ashara had spied a smile on her face when she had seen that her eldest daughter had returned home.

Ashara had decided that she would tell them all the night she returned, at dinner, Arthur would be returning to King's Landing and it was better to do it while he was still there. Arthur would always support her, in everything. They had just started on the first course, a stew made from meat of seven different snakes which was thickened with onions and carrots and seasoned with black pepper and a few drops of venom with circles of thin bread, dripping in oil made from olives served alongside when she had told them.

She was certain, looking back, that not even Winterfell covered in snow had been as silent as the small dining room of Starfall. Arnold's spoon was held in his frozen gasp as it hovered before his mouth, Arthur stared at her as if she had suddenly grown two heads and announced to all of them that she planned to join the silent sisters, Allyria clearly did not know how to react and her poor mother had finally showed an emotion that was not sorrow for the passing of her late husband, rage.

The silence had not lasted long and soon the small dining room was filled screaming, swearing and stupidity. Pleas had flown as easily as threats and warnings had done and at the end of the night Ashara had stormed out of the small room and locked herself into her old bedchambers. Perhaps at the time she had thought that it would be to easy but it didn't matter, she would not be rid of the child and nothing any of them said would convince her. She had penned a few letters to Elia but knew that she would not be able to send them that night.

Morning had finally come as it was want to do and her family had calmed themselves, Arthur had been shocked from her news but now that he had slept on it and could see it with a clear head he was on her side, sitting next to her at breakfast and making his side in the argument known. Ashara was glad that she had not misjudged her brother because at that moment it seemed like he had been the only ally she had.

Her mother disapproved as she was always want to do, her mother was not Dornish and was the daughter of a lord from the Westerlands, despite all the years she had spent here she did still not understand Dorne. Arnold made his disapproval known by simply staying silent and not speaking to her, Allyria might not have disapproved herself but with her eldest brother and mother against her sister it was not as if there was anything that she could do or say and so her little sister had simply bit her tongue.

Two days had passed too quickly and on the eve before Arthur was due to depart Ashara had sent her letters to Elia, begging her to come and help her. She had seen the two ravens she had attached her messages to fly over the mountains, one towards Sunspear and another towards the Water Gardens as at the time she had no idea where Elia would be.

When Arthur departed she had cried harder than she had ever done before in her entire life although she truly did not want to, she wanted to be strong for him and show that her mother and brother's coldness did not bother her but her resolve had failed her and she had sobbed into his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her back and held her close to him, making her feel as safe as he always did.

When Arthur finally did leave she had been expecting the worst, at the time she wasn't entirely sure what the worst was but she knew that whatever happened it would not be good but perhaps Arthur had spoken to them or they both had spent the time calming down as now, at the very least, they were speaking to her again and while it did not stop her tears it did allow her some composure. Her mother had even held her tight to her and smoothed down her hair, kissing her forehead as she did so.

Still, she could not take those letters back now and within a few weeks Elia and Oberyn had both descended on to Starfall with at least a hundred men, the anger that her brother and mother had forgotten was soon back at full force. She managed to smooth things over somewhat and soon Elia was attending to her, saying she would stay at Starfall until the babe was born.

The days had passed quicker than she had expected and soon her screams had filled the air and the babe was coming, their had to be no pain like it in the entire world and for a moment she truly had thought that she had been splitting apart at the seams and she truly thought that she was going to die, in a bed that would be stained with her blood. She remembered thinking that if she did die then at the very least she had returned to Starfall, if she did then she had always hoped that would die here surrounded by her family.

But all the pain was soon forgotten as a squalling babe with bright grey eyes was placed in her arms, looking up at her. Ashara had never believed that loving someone the moment that you saw them was possible but she knew at that moment that it was as her violet looked down into her daughter's grey ones, she was the most beautiful thing that she had ever seen in her entire life. Elia had said that she would grew to be just as beautiful as she was but Ashara knew that she would grow to be even more beautiful.

She spent every moment of time that she could with her babe, her sweet little Lauryn but before too long it was time to head back to King's Landing even though she truly did not wish too. She had wanted to take Lauryn with her but she knew she couldn't, the queen was not unkind but she would never allow her to keep Lauryn with her in King's Landing. She had sent one of her own ladies away before, her best friend and she would do the same to Ashara.

Ashara had cried as she kissed Lauryn goodbye before placing her in her grandmother's arms, promising to write to her as often as she was able. She turned then and walked over to the small wheelhouse, know that if she looked back that she would never leave. The queen welcomed her back warmly but she would say nothing of Ashara's absence or the reason for it nor would she tolerate it as a topic for discussion. Things almost seemed to return to normal, all that was different was that now she would write a letter to send to her daughter and then would wait for a response. Of course it was not Lauryn but her mother had who had been writing the letters to her, telling her of how well she had been growing and how much she loved her and so Ashara kept on sending the letters and for a time she had gained a sense of normality.

Until her brother had summoned her home and her prince had given her a command.

With a sigh and a shake of her head Ashara brought herself out of her memories, she could not but slip into them as of late as they tended to provoid her with more pleasant company. Elia was gone from here, a captive at Casterly Rock to hear Ned tell the tale at the Mad King's decree and Ashara could not go to her even though she was sworn to serve her. The lord of Winterfell said that he did not want to give the Lannisters any more hostages but Ashara did not a care a whit about that, all she cared about in that moment was Elia who was trapped all on her own with not a friend in sight.

She needed to see Lauryn, her babe never failed to cheer even though she was perhaps a little too big now to truly be called a babe anymore even if she would always be here baby. Ashara turned to face the door to her chambers and made her way over to them, keeping a tight grip on her blanket so that it would not fall and cause her to trip up.

Winterfell was as silent inside it's walls as it was outside as well, a grim mood had fallen on everyone inside the ancient castle and nothing could seem to be done to cheer any of them. It did not help that simply days ago the castle had been thrumming with life as thousands and thousands of men had come, answering their lord's summons. Every night there had been great feasts and proud declarations and boastings of great victories that would be won if it came to war and how they would get their lord's son's wife back where she belonged.

But almost as soon as they had arrived they all had to march back home, dark fat clouds had been spotted on the horizon and if they were still here when the snows came then they would not be marching home for weeks, maybe even months. Lord Rickard had given his bannermen leave to go, he didn't want them to freeze outside in the cold and there wasn't enough food in the stores to feed them all. Ashara hoped that they had all made it back to their homes before the clouds had opened, she couldn't imagine having to march in this cold.

The halls of Winterfell were abandoned with only the odd servant here or there, Ashara did not stop to speak with them as they would most likely be busy with some task or other and her only want at the moment was to reach the nursery.

She turned the corner at the end of hall and would've seen the door at the end of the hall that lead into the nursery if not for the fact that Catelyn Tully was standing in front of the door, walking towards her. Ashara's stomach tightened as the other woman's eyes light up at the sight of her, she had always felt awkward around the other woman as she was the one who was going to marry Brandon, the noble lady knew that Lauryn was Ashara's bastard and that had set the woman's teeth on edge but she at least had the courtesy to not say anything about it to her face but if Catelyn ever learned that Brandon was Lauryn's father then Ashara had no idea what she would do. "Good morning Catelyn, did you sleep well?"

"I did, well, as well as I could with it being so cold. I am not sure how anyone could sleep in this cold, the spring water did little to warm my room. I weep for Riverrun if I am going to be truthful, I am not made for this cold."

"You do remember that you are speaking to a Dornishwoman?" Ashara jested, trying to ease the tension that she felt in her gut and she was reward with Catelyn letting out a polite little laugh. "Is there anything that I can help you with Catelyn?" They had bonded closely enough that Ashara felt comfortable enough to simply call her by her name but that was mainly Elia's doing, not hers.

"I was coming to see you, in fact. I wondered if you had seen Brandon anywhere? I can not seem to find him and I wanted to speak to him about the wedding." Ashara was so focused on not showing any reaction to when the other woman asked of Brandon that she imagined that she must've looked like something of a simpleton, starting at the air. "Ashara?"

"Oh? Forgive me Catelyn, I was simply lost in my thoughts for a few moments." It was becoming more and more of a problem lately, that. "I am afraid that I have not seen Brandon, not since the day before this one. Have you considered going to ask Lyanna? The two of them are so close that I often thing that they are joined at the hip."

"She was the one I went to ask first but she has not seen him since breakfast when I last saw him, Benjen has not seen him either. I hope that he is well." Catelyn let out a heavy sigh and chewed at her bottom lip for a few moments. "Thank you Ashara."

"It is no trouble, Catelyn." Ashara said with a smile but the smile fell from her face as soon as the other woman had moved away from her and turned the corner that Ashara had just come from. Ashara felt terrible, she felt like a monster if she was going to be honest. She smiled at her face while planting a dagger in her back.

She had not laid with Brandon since that night at Castle Stockworth but that didn't stop her from wanting him, she still remember that day in the stable when she had been tending to Swift Ash and Brandon had cornered her, her hand brushing over one his muscular arms before he cupped her face with his hands, they had almost kissed before she had pushed him away. Before he had shown her his true colours.

Ashara walked to the door that lead into the nursery and pushed it open, stepping inside. Old Nan was slumped in her seat, for a heart stopping moment she had thought that the woman was dead but then she noticed that her chest was moving up and down and if Ashara strained her ears then she could just hear the little old woman letting out some raspy breaths in her sleep, Ashara didn't think she had ever been so relived in her entire life when she noticed that, she had grown fond of the old woman and if she died then it was a wound that she did not think that Winterfell would be able to survive at the moment.

Lauryn was sitting in the middle of the room, dressed in a tiny purple dress that matched the grey eyes that she had inherited from her grandfather and aunt and uncles and Ashara realised that she was glad of that, if her daughter had inherited her father's eyes then it was possible that Lord Rickard or Catelyn would be able to put it together, the only problem was that she wasn't certain what would be the worst outcome.

Her daughter had a carving of a wolf clasped tightly in her hands, she was waving it about instead of playing with it but she seemed happy. Her father certainly seemed amused by his antics as he smiled down at her, a similar carving of a wolf was held in his hands. He looked up when he heard the door open and smirked at her and she wanted to claw his eyes out. "Look sweetling, it's mother. Has she come to play with you?"

"What are you doing here?" She was truly trying her best to hold on to her anger, she did not want to scream or quarrel in front of her daughter but it was difficult as the man was so utterly insufferable. "Do you know that your future wife is looking for you? Perhaps I should go and tell her that you're in here, I hope that you are good at spinning lies quickly. What am I speaking off, of course you are good at telling lies as it quite easily explains the trail of shattered hearts you have left in your wake."

"Why is it that all the women I met are so very dramatic, I've never forced a woman into my bed and if they misunderstood our arrangements then that is their fault. Not mine." Brandon stood up and picked up Lauryn and Ashara wanted to slap him right there and then but she did not do that as she did not want to him risking dropping her daughter and Lauryn looked so comfortable.

"And if my future Lady wife has an issue with me being here then I will simply tell her that I have come to visit Old Nan, regardless she has no say in nothing I do. She is not my wife yet and even when she is she will have no say in what I do." Brandon said as he strode over to the crib and laid Lauryn down in it before he strode to stand in front of Ashara. "I'm not marrying her yet regardless, I told her that I don't want to marry her until Elia is back and Father, for once, has agreed with me. Most likely she just wanted to try and convince me to try and change father's mind."

"She wants to get married, I can not blame her. It is the only reason that she came here. Now, this has been lovely but I would like to be alone with my daughter." Ashara tried to walk past him but he suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her against his chest. "Let me go."

"I won't, I want you. And I don't just want you like that night at Stokeworth, I want you all the time. I want you to be my wife." Brandon began to kiss at her neck and Ashara had to bite her lip to stop herself from moaning. "Wouldn't you like to be the Lady of Winterfell, wouldn't that be quite a prize for you?"

"You'd never be the Lord of Winterfell, your father would disinherit you if you tried to marry me. You'd be the lord of nothing." That did not seem to dishearten him, if anything it only seemed to excite him more and he spun her around so she could look into his face.

"Doesn't that just sound lovely though? We could go back to Dorne together and just live, I would never have to rule anything. If your family wouldn't have us then we could go to the Free Cities and I could work as a sellsword and we could have a dozen more children if that would suit you and we could eat oranges every day, tell me that doesn't sound nice?" Brandon whispered into her ear and Ashara let out a sigh.

"You bastard."

"I know."

There lips joined together and as they kissed, Ashara cried.

End of Chapter Thirty-Two.

Welp, there we go again with a new chapter. I know that some of you do not like the Ashara and Brandon plotline but it is important to the rest of the story and I do need to write it, more importantly I want to write it. I should clarify something in case anyone get's confused, Ashara doesn't love Brandon more as she desires him even though she knows that she shouldn't, she's more addicted to him than anything else and can not stop herself but Brandon sees Ashara as more of a way to be free of all the burdens that would come with being the lord of Winterfell, he loves the idea of freedom and Ashara, and to a lesser extent Lauryn, represent that for him.

Now, next chapter we will be going back to Casterly Rock. So, let's play a little game. Of the three POVs we've had so far who are at Casterly Rock, who do you think the next chapter will be told from? (The options are Tyrion, Jaime and Elia.)

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please leave a review, constructive criticism is always welcome and follow and favourite if you enjoyed. Love,

Doctorwhofan12345.