She was soaked to the bone, her clothing sticking to her skin and rubbing uncomfortably against her with every move she made. The cloak whose lightness she had previously praised pressed down on her shoulders, becoming heavier with every step she took.

She loved it.

It had been so long since she had seen rain. First the hot deserts of Dorne, then the freezing wastes beyond the Wall. Neither climate truly allowed heavy rainfall.

So now, standing in the downpour, droplets running down her face and obscuring her vision, her boots sinking into the softening earth - she had never felt so alive.

No sounds could be heard beside the rain hitting the leaves around her in a constant, never-changing ambient. It calmed her, made her forget about the stress of the tourney. Allowed her to focus, even.

Despite it all, however, she was growing tired. So when a light appeared in the distance, she made her feet speed up one last time.

Houses slowly became visible through the leafage. Small huts stood along the beaten-down road, all leading up to- a septry.

She quickly opened her bag and started rummaging through it. Inside everything was wet as well. She swore, though only in her mind.

Her blue cloth stuck to the side of her small bag, partly hidden by her flagon and coin bag. When she pulled it out her golden embroidery stuck out like a sore thumb. Shit. Hopefully no one would recognise the animals.

She laid the scarf over her head, pushing back strands of her hair under the cloth, and crossing the excess fabric over her neck. This was the first time since she had cut her hair two years ago that she was glad she had done so.

A septry was a good thing. They could grant her sanctuary and hide her away from any potential pursuers she still had. They also might be open to giving her a bed for the night. And she could pray properly once again.

She stepped through the archway onto the castle grounds. The septry appeared much bigger than she had anticipated for such a small town. Though perhaps this was usual for the Riverlands.

A tree rose in the middle of the courtyard, surrounded by bushes and flowers. Its impressive height made her think the septry might have been constructed around it instead of the other way around.

She walked up to the main gate and knocked on the dark wood. Her hands flitted around her scarf, pulling it further down her forehead. The door opened quickly, and she let her hands drop.

Before her stood a young woman with light skin, not much more than five years her senior, dressed in the grey robes of the faith.

Elle prepared to say something, ask for help, explain her situation, but she did not need to.

"What are you doing out here in this weather?" the woman, likely a holy sister, exclaimed, opening the door further. "Come inside, you will catch your death."

She was ushered through the door by the sister, the water dropping off her body and onto the stone floor. Usually, the cold did not bother her, but right now she was glad for the warmth.

"I would like to ask for sanctuary," Elle said quickly. "And a bed for the night, if you can spare one."

The sister smiled. "Of course. But first, let's warm you up."

Elle fell into step beside her, being led through the septry. They walked down the cloister, whose garden might have been quite beautiful if not for the still raging rainfall.

Walking down a short flight of stairs and through a sturdy wooden door they found themselves in a small hall. Holy sisters in grey, white, and blue sat before the hearths, talking to each other in low voices. The woman led Elle to one of them.

"Please, have a seat."

She followed her example, the warmth of the fireplace immediately taking hold of her.

The sisters around them sent her a smile before turning back to their conversations and their work.

"Tell me, what's your name?"

"I am Elle, holy sister."

"You may call me Sister Kinga. What has led you here? I assume based on your voice you are not from around here."

She wanted to lie. Wanted to spin a tale about having been cast out of her home, searching for work, someone to take her in. But lying was forbidden in holy places.

"Yes, you are correct." She unfastened her cloak and laid it out beside her. "I am from Sunspear and currently on my way back home. The rain took me a bit by surprise."

"And why are you here in the Riverlands?"

"I was visiting a… friend up north." Not a lie, technically. Even though she would never dream of calling Jon that to his face. Would never like to be called that by him either. "On my way back I had the idea to explore a bit of the world. I have seen so little of it."

Sister Kinga smiled softly. "That sounds nice." Then her gaze focused on something behind Elle. She stood up.

"Mother Elinor."

An older woman, dressed in the same grey robes as Kinga, approached them.

Elle rose as well.

"This is Elle," the sister said, introducing her to the matron of the septry. "She has come a long way and desires sanctuary."

The Mother smiled down at her. "Then we shall grant it to her." She bowed her head. "It is good to have you here, Elle. I hope you will feel right at home."

Elle bowed her head in kind. "Thank you, Mother Elinor. I promise I shall not stay for long, I merely need shelter."

"Stay as long as you like." Her gaze wandered across her body. "Sister Kinga, please provide our guest something to dress in for the time being. And I think we can sacrifice a bit of water for a bath."

She knew she made the right decision in coming here.

(As if that was ever in question.)

That night at dinner she sat amongst the holy sisters, fitting right in with the blue robes that had been provided to her. Sister Kinga had been kind enough to even lend her a covering for her head, though she had seemed a bit puzzled as to why she - who was not a sister of the septry - had requested one.

The prayer they said before the meal was unfamiliar to her. Perhaps it was unique to the Riverlands. Perhaps Dorne just did not pray to the Smith like this.

She was asked about what had led her here, and what her life was like in Dorne. They wanted to know how they worshipped the Seven there, as they knew every kingdom practised their faith a bit differently.

Elle answered it all, even the more personal questions, though the conversation quickly progressed from those topics to the Faith. And those were the questions she did truly enjoy answering.

Her room was small, consisting of a bed and a small nightstand, but she did not need more. She contemplated thanking the Crone for taking care of her, but she did not pray after the sun had set, and even though she was not at home, she would not change this.

Home. So this is how she viewed Sunspear? A slip of her mind, to be sure.

Elle ended up staying for another six days.

She joined the holy sisters and septas for their morning prayers in the sept, as well as for every meal throughout the day. She went fishing with some of them, and helped distribute food to the people having taken shelter in the septry.

No one asked her why she was here. No one questioned why she had begged for sanctuary.

She had not taken off her scarf the entire week, only when she had gone to sleep. Even in Dorne this was not the norm.

While she tended to the flowers in the main courtyard one day, soldiers came riding in. They did not get off their horses even as Mother Elinor came up to speak to them. Elle glanced at their armour, green and silver, bearing the sigil of House Vypren.

She kept her head down.

"We are searching for a woman with golden hair. She has to answer for her crimes before Lord Benjiamin."

"And what crimes would that be?" the Mother asked.

"Robbery and incitement of violence. Have you seen her around here?"

"Even if I had - this is a septry, good Ser, and anyone who enters this place is protected by the gods. I could not hand her to you if she were here."

The soldiers soon left, but not after threatening the Mother and several sisters around her.

The walls of one of the corridors were decorated with tapestries of all colours and sizes, each of them meticulously crafted by the sisters of the septry. She spent an entire day in that hallway.

The tapestries showed religious imagery, as was to be expected. The crowning of Hugor of the Hill and the landing of the Andals in Westeros. The High Septon, a wedding, Silent Sisters tending to the wounded. And a woman and a child, kneeling before the statue of the Mother.

Ellaria had taken Elle to the sept for the first time not long after she had arrived in Sunspear. She had laid a brightly embroidered veil over her hair and told her, "We show our humility to the Gods by covering up. Our appearance does not matter when we kneel before them and ask for their blessings."

Since then, Elle had accompanied her every time. The Faith brought her comfort at a time when little else could. And then it just… stayed. Even after she had settled in Sunspear, even after she had found friends, she still went to the sept. She still prayed at sunrise. She still covered her hair when walking on holy grounds.

Her current stay at the septry brought all of those feelings back. There was something peaceful about this life. Something about being able to escape all of her duties.

And this was why she could not stay.

Her clothing had long been cleaned and repaired. Despite how much she enjoyed the simple robes of the faith, they were of a more rough-spun wool than she was comfortable with.

Sister Kinga handed her food and water for her journey before bestowing a blessing onto her. Elle thanked her for everything she had done for her.

"May the Mother be kind to you."

She wanted to stay, wanted to experience the calm peace she had never been permitted before. But she could not. She had started something in High Anura, something that would bring change. Hopefully.

She would not back down now.

a/n: fyi, i changed a line in the final chapter of book one. nothing major, just to adhere to a story change i made recently