Sword and Star
"You really are set on this." It was not a question, but Ashara still treated it like one.
"Yes, I am," she answered, after finishing the last bit of embroidery she had been working on, finally done working with the silver thread.
Her gown was with the seamstress, but a maiden's cloak demanded a more personal touch. She might have worn the cloak her father has used to when wedding her mother, but that option was out of reach and would have still left her with a second one to prepare.
Quite predictably, it turned out that preparing a wedding in only a few days was not easy.
Holding the cloak up, Ashara inspected her work with a critical eye and judged it to be without visible flaws. Satisfied, she put it to the side before focusing fully on Larra. "After seeing what he is capable of, can you tell me why I should not?"
But then, Larra had not seen, not really anyway. She and everyone else knew only that the attack had been averted and that the men of the Vale imprisoned on Dragonstone spoke only in terrified whisper if they did at all.
Ships had sunk and men had died, but beyond that the fog had served well in hiding the exact events that had transpired.
A storm out on the water in the night, surely, to weaken hulls and reduce the number of ships and men. Fortunate shallows invisible in the fog, to hole ships below the water and make them sink, creating disaster. Exaggeration and simple mistakes even, perhaps it had never been eight ships to begin with and someone had only miscounted or was even in on the trick.
There had been a hundred different attempts at an explanation for something unseen. Unsatisfying to the last, all of them.
Ashara had seen. She had no need for theories or deliberation. She had seen an ordinary arrow hole a ship on both sides. Had seen a normal blade rip three ships apart at Naruto's command. Had seen Valyrian steel carve a bloody path through more than a hundred knights and men-at-arms.
It went beyond all she had ever known; beyond anything she had ever thought someone to possibly be capable of.
That had been the stuff of heroes and myths, of legends centuries old. It was the realm of the gods and their champions.
"It's not that." Larra banished the thought with a wave of the hand. "I saw him fight at Harrenhal as well, if you remember. He is deadly, no doubt about it, and it seems he is a good man too, but if you recall life is more than goodness and warring."
"It is," Ashara agreed readily, and gave her friend a smile. "If you are worried about my future there is no need. My decision was not made on the spur of the moment." She reconsidered, and chose further truth. "Well, not entirely, at least."
It would have been a lie to say that she had not felt moved in that moment, pushed into acting as she had by her heart as much as her head, but there was more than emotion to base her decision on. Naruto might not have a name and lands, yet, but his abilities were more valuable than most lordships, if in a different way.
Water could quickly become more valuable than gold in Dorne, when the dry heat of the desert or the mountains sapped your strength and there were still leagues to the next water source. Just thinking about it for a moment brought ideas to her mind.
New settlements and wells and roads, paths that had been unusable before allowing quicker connections between keeps or towns. More food meant more people, to craft or sow or harvest. Or mine, she added, because Naruto could find more than just water.
It still boggled her mind, sometimes.
"As long as you are sure." Larra leaned back and took a sip of the wine she had been drinking the whole time. One hand running through the ends of her long mousy hair, she looked around the room, until her eyes came to rest on some of the parchment scattered on the nearby desk. "Has your brother written?"
"No, not yet. But even if he wrote the very same day my message reached him the raven might not be here yet."
By rights, her family should have been there to see her wed. Arthur, Allyria, Alaric and Carella, they all would have been able to share the moment with her and joined in the celebrations.
Her father would have been there to give Ashara away in the ceremony and her mother would have advised on fabrics and colours for her gown and helped with stitching her cloak.
But with the situation being what it was, those things could not be. Her father was dead, her mother often sick, Arthur had disappeared with Prince Rhaegar, and Alaric and the others were far away in Dorne.
The realm was at war, and even during peace the journey from Starfall to Dragonstone was long and perilous. Without rebellion, her family would have surely thought to come despite that, but there was chaos in the Seven Kingdoms, chaos that could not be ignored, even for a wedding.
Still, there was another issue produced by the fact that Arthur and Rhaegar were gone. The two of them were the ones who might have served as replacements for the ceremony, to bring her to the sept and give her away in place of her late father or Alaric.
When Ashara voiced that problem, Larra quickly had an answer.
"Why not take a page from history? Your family might not be here, but you are."
She understood quickly. When Princess Nymeria had bound herself and her people to Dorne by marrying Mors Martell, she had defied tradition by giving herself away. Ashara did not feel inclined to replicate that same approach, but perhaps there was a work-around contained in it, nonetheless.
She would have to reach an agreement, offer one thing so that this could be gained. But it was certainly a good way forward. One that appealed to her.
"Thank you, Larra," Ashara said and placed her own wine to the side to stand.
"Always happy to help, even if I'm not sure we are thinking quite the same thing." Larra raised her glass in a mock-toast with a smile and took another sip of the sour vintage.
Gracing her friend with a secretive smile Ashara walked from the chamber. "You will see."
A few days later it was time.
Ashara walked the path to Dragonstone's sept with anticipation and nervousness worming its way through her stomach.
Everything was in place and she had checked her hair and gown and jewellery half a hundred times in her looking glass.
Instead of freely falling around her shoulders as they often did, her dark locks had been bound high today, baring her neck. Clear diamonds twinkled at her ears like distant stars, to fit the white samite and lace of her bodice and the long, dagged sleeves. In place of a necklace, she wore the brooch Naruto had gifted her, a spot of colour to join her eyes against the contrast of light clothing and dark hair.
Smoothing down the rich purple skirts a final time she stepped out into the courtyard, prepared.
Elia waited for her at steps leading into the sept, olive skin still pale and dark rings around her eyes, only made more noticeable by her red and yellow gown accented in gold and polished copper. Alyse stood with her, clad in pale blues and yellows, and allowed Elia to avoid having to stand under only her own power.
Once Ashara reached them, she and Alyse traded positions, leaving Elia to lean on her instead. The other woman entered the sept by herself after a smile and an encouraging squeeze of the hand, leaving the two of them to themselves. Everyone else was already gathered inside.
"Are you ready?" Elia asked her, dark eyes tired but strong.
"Yes," Ashara answered, resolute, and they began walking, though she was leading Elia more than the other way around.
They passed beneath the stone arch, sheltered for a moment in the rainbow rays thrown by the noon sun passing through the coloured glass in the centre of the roof, and then Ashara was able to take in what awaited her.
Larra, Jeyne, Alyse, and Morra stood at the front of the crowd on the right side of the sept, with one empty spot reserved for Elia next to them. Rhaenys and Aegon were on that side as well, with the two nursemaids tasked with their care. With them were the other guests of noble blood, lords big and small that were sworn to Dragonstone and had answered the sudden call.
Lord Adrian Celtigar was clad in red on white, his proud cloak closed with a clasp made to resemble a crab's claw made from red gold. Lord Guncer had his head lowered in respect for the gods, moonstones shining at wrists and neck, while young Lord Monford and his wife looked on in interest, exchanging a quiet whisper now and then.
The left side was filled with Dragonstone's household knights, and those brought along by the guests that had arrived on the island, as well as the valued servants of the castle that had distinguished themselves through long and faithful service.
Naruto waited for her at the marriage altar, where Septon Barre stood with a crystal in hand, flanked by the statues of the Mother and the Father.
His doublet was orange and yellow, with subtle silver accents along the buttons and cuffs, a cloak carefully folded over his right forearm. Belted at his waist was his Valyrian steel dagger, for once the only weapon he carried on his person.
He smiled at her, a simple joyful thing, uncaring of everyone else in the building and his eyes only for her, a swirl of emotions hidden in their depths. Ashara matched that gaze all the way through the sept, an answering expression on her own face.
Upon reaching the altar, Ashara opened the silver clasp around her throat, allowing Elia to pull the maiden's cloak from her shoulders and move to her spot among the guests, walking those few slow steps unassisted before handing off the purple cloak to Larra and subtly leaning on Alyse again.
Her role had been small and ceremonial, but vital, nonetheless.
Normally, the exchange of cloaks would have happened after the prayers and vows and singing, but this arrangement asked less of Elia's health and was a minor adjustment all things considered.
Naruto moved behind her after that, unveiling the cloak of his own protection. He had no sigil or true colours of his own, much less a family cloak of some kind, but that issue had been settled quickly.
Largely, it resembled the cloak she had only just shed. It was thin in the Dornish style and embroidered with the star and sword of House Dayne in white, but that was where the differences began. The body of silk was closer to a dark blue than the pure purple of her house in colour, and instead of silver thread and mother-of-pearl highlighting the shooting star they did so for the sword, which had been reversed to have the tip point at the ground instead of the sky.
Along the edges, Ashara had added small, white patterns, curling and drifting along, painting a picture of fresh breezes and lazy gales, of sudden gusts and mighty squalls. The wind in different styles.
When no challenge was made audible Naruto brought the silk about her shoulders, the material billowing around her as he unfurled it with a flourish. His fingers lingered for a fleeting moment after he had closed the silver clasp set with an amethyst around her neck, the digits warm on gown and skin before he moved to stand at her side again.
Septon Barre began the prayers and hymns then, leading all of them in the recitals and singing, though Lord Guncer Sunglass was the loudest voice in the sept, only rarely outdone by Rhaenys' high-pitched giggles.
Naruto followed it all as if he had grown up among the Seven and their septs, and not in the far east. At the start she had thought that he was only moving his lips without making a sound, but he recited the verses just as she did. He must have spent a large part of the last days on memorising everything.
Seven vows, seven promises, seven blessings, and seven songs, before it was finally time.
At Septon Barre's encouragement they turned towards each other, purple eyes meeting blue for more than a short glance again, and Naruto sought her hands to give them a gentle squeeze. Ashara began, "With this kiss I pledge my love, and take you for my lord and husband."
"With this kiss I pledge my love," Naruto echoed, "and take you for my lady and wife."
Ashara leaned forward, just as he did, and they met for a deep kiss. It was far from their first or second. The last few days had not been without contact between them, though they had restrained themselves from much more than this, but it still felt different now. More, in some way she did not care to consider more deeply.
When they separated again, Septon Barre raised his crystal high, the light reflecting in the many-sided stone as he addressed the sept's occupants. "Here in the sights of gods and men, I do solemnly proclaim Naruto of the Uzumakis of the East, and Ashara of House Dayne to be man and wife, one flesh, one heart, and soul, now and forever, and cursed be the one who comes between them."
Ashara felt warm and overwhelmed with joy, and could not keep the smile from her face, an issue Naruto seemed to be struggling with just as much.
There were polite exclamations, smiles and congratulations, and happy squeals from Princess Rhaenys as they walked from the sept to continue with the activities of the day, but Ashara did not pay most of it any mind.
Looking back, it all felt like a blur. The ceremony, the vows, the feast and celebrations that followed, the dancing, even the ribald remarks and furtive hands as she was carried and undressed in preparation for the bedding.
Then they were together in their chambers, only the two of them. She had been left in her smallclothes and a thin shift, while only knee-length braies still covered Naruto. Larra and Morra had pulled his undertunic from him and loudly joked about him looking warrior enough to already be proficient with his sword.
And he did. Naruto was a warrior to the bone, in body and spirit.
Ashara could see that clear as day in the cosy chamber, the flickering of candles and the fire in the hearth throwing moving shadows across his bare torso that only underlined his physique.
She watched his back from her position on the bed, watched the muscles move under the skin as he poured some wine for them, and could not help but picture how her hands would look slowly gliding across it all, familiarising herself with all of it, all of him.
It was a tantalising thought and she realised that there was no reason anymore not to indulge in it.
This was the time for the two of them, to become and be husband and wife in the way that their vows in the sept had already promised each other. One flesh, one heart, one soul, now and forever.
Ashara stood, bare feet padding over the cool stone floor not covered by myrish carpets until she reached Naruto just as he finished pouring the second glass. She laid her fingers over his wrist, tugging at his arm so he would follow. Looking at him as she walked backwards to the bed, she could see the question in his gaze.
"The wine will still be there later."
"Of course." Naruto smiled; his eyes dark with desire. Quick as the wind, he surged forward, closing the gap, and only his hands on her kept Ashara from stumbling as their lips met.
They were only steps from the bed, but then she did not care anymore and only the moment mattered. His tongue beckoned for entrance, and she gave it gladly.
Even through her shift, everywhere their bodies touched she felt his warmth and she pressed herself even closer in effort to feel more of it. One hand cradled his neck, while the other found his heart, palm flat against the skin, pressed between their bodies. Naruto's heart beat a quick, steady rhythm that only grew faster as they continued.
Hands tugged at her hips, grabbing the thin garment, and their lips separated only long enough for Naruto to raise the shift over her head and discard it to the side, where it was promptly forgotten.
Ashara released a moan as his lips moved to her neck, his hands trailing warmth up and down her sides before beginning to free her of her smallclothes. Her own hands were not idle, one hand fisted in his hair, nails a light pressure against his scalp, while the other traced a path down his body, caressing the lines of his muscles on the way south.
She felt him against her lower body, stiff and hot, but before she could reach her prize Naruto's deft fingers accomplished their task. Silk smallclothes fell away with another insistent tug, and then his hands were warm against her uncovered rear and breasts.
Naruto lightly nipped at her throat, but before he could move lower Ashara tugged his head upwards again, her lips meeting his own in a bruising kiss. The fingers of her other hand found his laces and quickly worked to undo them so no more clothing stood in her way.
Just as she succeeded his other hand dropped to her hips and then drew a path further down, fingers grabbing a hold of her thighs. He lifted her up and surprise overwhelmed her mind for a moment, making her dig her fingers into his scalp.
Her legs closed around his waist, giving her support besides just his hands, and Ashara could feel him smile against her lips. Ankles and hand working together, she pushed the thin clothing down his hips, allowing her fingers to finally encircle his length, applying gentle pressure to the stiff organ.
Naruto groaned appreciatively into their kiss, one hand settling on her waist as he slowly walked closer to the bed. The other was still on her thigh, pressing her close, making sure there was no more space between them than absolutely necessary.
The feather mattress met her back as he laid her down and their lips separated with a final, wanting moment of contact. Naruto straightened from where he had been hovering just above her, eyes locked with her own, and both of their breaths came in harsh pants in an effort to replace the air they had been disregarding.
She had been called beautiful in the past, and not rarely, but underneath that heavy gaze and naked as the day she was born, she felt more beautiful than she ever had.
What nervousness Ashara still felt went entirely ignored in the face of her desire to continue. There would be some pain, she knew, but not for very long and more than worth the price for what would follow.
Instead of tarnishing the moment with words, she simply beckoned him forward with the slightest pull, a command Naruto was more than happy to follow.
Leaning down, his left hand cradled her neck, thumb stroking her cheek before he kissed her again, slow and sweet and in a way that inexplicably made her blush.
Her hand guided his length to her slick heat as his own quested up her side, a feather touch against the skin above her ribs on the way to her breast, where he applied a gentle pressure.
The first touch had both of them moaning into their kiss, the sound mingling with their contact. Ashara tightened her legs, making her heels dig into his back, preventing him from moving any way but forward, though Naruto needed no encouragement in that regard.
Their bodies joined in truth, and they lost themselves to the pleasure.
"You are sure of this?" Ashara asked quietly while she watched Naruto begin to dress himself.
The sun was only just beginning to peek over the horizon and even the servants were only just starting their days, but he was already completely awake. One elbow leaning on the pillow she unashamedly ogled his barely covered form.
"Yes." Naruto nodded and gave her a comforting smile. "Would that I could stay here with you and ignore everything else that is happening, but I can't do that. Not when I know I could make a difference."
"Perhaps I could convince you otherwise?" Ashara raised the furs and blanket warding her from the chilly spring morning with the other arm, giving him a tantalising peek at what lay underneath and inviting him with a teasing smile. She still ached from their activities, but she did not care.
Naruto stopped reaching for an undertunic to give her a smouldering look, desire in his sharp eyes. He stepped close to the bed and dipped a knee into the feather mattress, looming over her for a moment, before leaning down to meet her lips in a kiss that told her exactly what he wanted right now.
Ashara let herself be pushed onto her back, yielding to the gentle pressure from above, one hand drifting into his hair to keep him just where he was, his right hand warm against her cheek.
Naruto kissed her like she was the sweetest thing in the world and she could not get enough of it.
It ended far too quickly for her taste, even if she was breathing heavily as they separated.
"To think I married a temptress," he said, humour hidden under a thick layer of desire. Then he leaned down again and stole another kiss from her. Shorter and light, this time, but no less pleasing for it.
"Some say that of all women from Dorne," Ashara whispered, their breaths mingling. He chuckled and she smiled, but they could not remain in this shared moment forever. She could not help the wish to keep him by her side for longer, but it could not be.
Naruto stood from the bed again, going to back to clothing himself, and Ashara watched him quietly. She had tasks of her own to complete today, but there was still some time until she needed to be ready.
Not long and her husband was fully dressed, everything he would take with him secured tightly in a pack he shouldered over his cloak.
But there was one thing missing before she could let him go.
Ashara threw off the furs and stood as well. Naruto took her in like a painting, eyes roving over every little inch of bared skin even if he was already familiar will all of it after they had spent near the entirety of yesterday as husband and wife.
She liked having him look at her like that.
Her steps were quick as she crossed the cool floor of their chambers, past him and towards a small, circular wooden table just behind. Ashara felt his heavy gaze on her rear as she picked up her favour and she saw the smile on his lips as she turned around.
Stepping close to him she did what she had done the last time, quick fingers making sure that the purple silk would not easily loosen from Naruto's arm. Satisfied with her work, Ashara moved to cradle his face with both hands, and this time she felt no reason to stop herself.
They said goodbye without need for words and when they had separated, foreheads touching and fingers entwined, there was only one thing for her to add. "Be safe."
It felt almost silly to say, knowing what he was capable of, but she said it all the same. King's Landing was dangerous and the Red Keep even more so, even the dungeons.
Naruto smiled, but he was serious despite everything. "Of course."
Ashara watched him leave after giving her hands a final squeeze, the wooden door closing behind him as he began on his path to the boat waiting for him at the docks. She already missed him.
Taking a deep breath, she began to dress. She chose a lavender dress, simple and comfortable, and a grey cloak to keep her warm, closed at the front with the amethyst brooch she had worn for her wedding.
Ready, she got to work.
A few trips around the castle and all the arrangements that had not been handled in the last two days were made, leaving only the final piece. Back in the Stone Drum, Ashara found herself in a hallway with two guards in Targaryen livery, two additional men following in her steps.
She chose the second room, and the guard allowed her entry without issue, already informed of what would happen today. The two men-at-arms she had brought waited outside.
"Ser Myles," Ashara said in greeting, dipping into a shallow curtsy.
"Lady Ashara," the Mooton knight returned neutrally, arms crossed and a hard look in his eyes. He had been watching the sea from his window when she had entered. "To what do I owe this honour?"
"Mercy, you might say. You are being granted your freedom."
Ser Myles did not visibly react for a few moments, simply watching. Then his lips drifted downwards slightly, anger visible in the sneer that took over his face. "Returned, you mean. Rightfully. You had no cause to imprison me from the first, lying as you call me guest did not change that."
"Returned or granted, you have it again," Ashara said. "Yet you are not welcome to Dragonstone's hospitality any longer. There is a ship at the docks waiting for you, ready to bring you north or south as you wish. Your belongings that are not in this room are already aboard."
Turning back to the door she pulled it open, admitting the two men she had brought with her into the room.
"Ben and Arlan are here to accompany you to the docks. I wish you a safe voyage."
Ser Myles hesitated for a moment, before complying willingly. Grabbing what possessions were important and to hand and stuffing them into a simple sack Ben gave him, he walked from the chamber. He might be bold, but he was clearly not intending to meet the Stranger quite yet.
When the steps had faded away, Ashara moved to accomplish the final task, her path bringing her down a flight of steps, through the gallery, and into the Windwyrm, where Morning greeted her with a happy and expectant trill. Her feathery companion did not complain at being removed from her cage or at being carried through the old castle back to her chambers.
Once there, she let Morning fly from the window, great wings unfurling to catch the air and allow her to climb through the sky.
After shaking out her limbs a final time Ashara sat down on a comfortable chair and leaned back, relaxing. After much practice it was much easier to find the connection to her eagle, the thread that tethered them to each other no matter the distance.
Grasping that thread, she pulled, a slight tingling between her eyes before she was soaring, suddenly much sharper eyes taking in the world below her.
Ser Richard had unwittingly revealed his missing knowledge to her and Naruto, but Ser Myles had not been so simple to trick. But if the man did know something, he would act on it, and she would be there to see it from up above.
When Elia called for her, Naruto had been gone for more than a week already.
As they had done the last two times they had met like this, they sat as allies on opposite sides of a negotiation, and not as a princess and her lady-in-waiting.
I hope you enjoyed chapter 36. I have started working on 37 already and I hope that it will be done for friday.
Technically speaking it seems like you need only a bride, a groom, and a septon for a marriage. When Tyrion married Tysha they had "pigs for witnesses", but that marriage is swiftly revoked afterwards, so its not exactly the gold standard for legally binding.
All that ceremony they do in Westeros: being given away, the cloaking and uncloaking, the many guests, the prayers and songs, the correct vows, the bedding. It is important, if only because everyone, in this case the nobility, agrees that it is necessary. If the King can stand in for a family member because he is the "father of the realm", as Joffrey does for Sansa, then the Rhoynar surely did the same with a female relative sometimes. It observes the tradition with only a little twist.
All that stuff is important to Ashara as a character. She wants the ceremonies and rituals to be observed in the proper way. It is a normal wedding, so it follows the normal procedures. It marks their marriage as legitimite, in the eyes of Westeros anyways. And hers.
Wedding gowns in Westeros seem to be white as well, traditionally, but I thought some colour would be appropriate. The only thing really missing from the marriage is a dowry. That will be for later.
You won't get any more in terms of smut from me. Sorry if that disappoints anyone. I'm not even sure if this was any good.
Not much to say about this chapter otherwise. They are still trying to get a lead on Rhaegar and Naruto heads out to cause a bit of chaos. I think people can guess what he wants to do.
As always, thanks for reading and reviewing. Until next time.