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JNOGaming

Corporal
Jun 2, 2015
45
4
500px-509px-Arya_Stark_by_AniaEm.jpg


Prologue​


“How long have you been Lord Beric’s squire?” she asked, to take his mind from his misery.

“He took me for his page when he espoused my aunt.” He coughed. “I was ten, but when I turned thirteen he raised me to squire. I won a prize once, riding at rings.”

“I never learned the lance, but I could beat you with a sword,” said Arya. “Have you killed anyone?”

That seemed to startle him. “A few.”

I killed a boy when I was eight, Arya almost said, but she thought she’d better not. “You’ve been in battles, though.”

“Yes.” He did not sound very proud of it. “I was at the Mummer’s Ford. When Lord Beric fell into the river, I dragged him up onto the bank so he wouldn’t drown and stood over him with my sword. Lord Beric seemed dead but that didn’t stop them trying to come over and finish the job. I had to protect him, dying or not. He deserved a proper burial. I lost count how many came over, I guess I’m just lucky they didn’t come over in a group or I’d have been overwhelmed. When we regrouped, Green Gergen helped pull his lordship back onto a horse.”

Arya was remembering the stableboy at King’s Landing. After him there’d been that guard whose throat she cut at Harrenhal, and Ser Amory’s men at that holdfast by the lake. She didn’t know if Weese and Chiswyck counted, or the ones who’d died on account of the weasel soup . . . all of a sudden, she felt very sad. “My father was called Ned too,” she said.

“I know. I saw him at the Hand’s tourney. I wanted to go up and speak with him, but I couldn’t think what to say.” Ned shivered beneath his cloak, a sodden length of pale purple. “Were you at the tourney? I saw your sister there. Ser Loras Tyrell gave her a rose.”

“She told me.” It all seemed so long ago. “Her friend Jeyne Poole fell in love with your Lord Beric.”

“He’s promised to my aunt.” Ned looked uncomfortable. “That was before, though. Before he . . .”

. . . died? she thought, as Ned’s voice trailed off into an awkward silence. Their horses’ hooves made sucking sounds as they pulled free of the mud.

“My lady?” Ned said at last. “You have a baseborn brother . . . Jon Snow?”

“He’s with the Night’s Watch on the Wall.” Maybe I should go to the Wall instead of Riverrun. Jon wouldn’t care who I killed or whether I brushed my hair . . . “Jon looks like me, even though he’s bastard-born. He used to muss my hair and call me ‘little sister.’” Arya missed Jon most of all. Just saying his name made her sad. “How do you know about Jon?”

“He is my milk brother.”

“Brother?” Arya did not understand. “But you’re from Dorne. How could you and Jon be blood?”

“Milk brothers. Not blood. My lady mother had no milk when I was little, so Wylla had to nurse me.”

Arya was lost. “Who’s Wylla?”

“Jon Snow’s mother. He never told you? She’s served us for years and years. Since before I was born.”

“Jon never knew his mother. Not even her name.” Arya gave Ned a wary look. “You know her? Truly?” Is he making mock of me? “If you lie I’ll punch your face.”

“Wylla was my wetnurse,” he repeated solemnly. “I swear it on the honor of my House.”

“You have a House?” That was stupid; he was a squire, of course he had a House. “Who are you?”

“My lady?” Ned looked embarrassed. “I’m Edric Dayne, the . . . the Lord of Starfall.”

Behind them, Gendry groaned. “Lords and ladies,” he proclaimed in a disgusted tone. Arya plucked a withered crabapple off a passing branch and whipped it at him, bouncing it off his thick bull head. “Ow,” he said. “That hurt.” He felt the skin above his eye. “What kind of lady throws crabapples at people?”

“The bad kind,” said Arya, suddenly contrite. She turned back to Ned. “I’m sorry I didn’t know who you were. My lord.”

“The fault is mine, my lady.” He was very polite and attractive in a solemn way.

Jon has a mother. Wylla, her name is Wylla. She would need to remember so she could tell him, the next time she saw him. She wondered if he would still call her “little sister.” I’m not so little anymore. He’d have to call me something else. Maybe once she got to Riverrun she could write Jon a letter and tell him what Ned Dayne had said. “There was an Arthur Dayne,” she remembered. “The one they called the Sword of the Morning.”

“My father was Ser Arthur’s elder brother. Lady Ashara was my aunt. I never knew her, though. She threw herself into the sea from atop the Palestone Sword before I was born.”

“Why would she do that?” said Arya, startled.

Ned looked wary. Maybe he was afraid that she was going to throw something at him. “Your lord father never spoke of her?” he said. “The Lady Ashara Dayne, of Starfall?”

“No. Did he know her?”

“Before Robert was king. She met your father and his brothers at Harrenhal, during the year of the false spring.”

“Oh.” Arya did not know what else to say. “Why did she jump in the sea, though?”

“Her heart was broken.”

Sansa would have sighed and shed a tear for true love, but Arya just thought it was stupid. She couldn’t say that to Ned, though, not about his own aunt. “Did someone break it?”

He hesitated. “Perhaps it’s not my place . . .”

“Tell me.”

He looked at her uncomfortably. “My aunt Allyria says Lady Ashara and your father fell in love at Harrenhal—”

“That’s not so. He loved my lady mother.”

“I’m sure he did, my lady, but—”

“She was the only one he loved.”

“He must have found that bastard under a cabbage leaf, then,” Gendry said behind them.

Arya wished she had another crabapple to bounce off his face. “My father had honor,” she said angrily. “And we weren’t talking to you anyway. Why don’t you go back to Stoney Sept and ring that girl’s stupid bells?”

Gendry ignored that. “At least your father raised his bastard, not like mine. I don’t even know my father’s name. Some smelly drunk, I’d wager, like the others my mother dragged home from the alehouse. Whenever she got mad at me, she’d say, ‘If your father was here, he’d beat you bloody.’ That’s all I know of him.” He spat. “Well, if he was here now, might be I’d beat him bloody. But he’s dead, I figure, and your father’s dead too, so what does it matter who he lay with?”

It mattered to Arya, though she could not have said why. Ned was trying to apologize for upsetting her, but she did not want to hear it. As she pressed her heels into her horse to leave them both, she felt a strong hand on her horses reign keep her in place. She turned and found her eyes locking directly with Edric’s dark blue, almost purple, eyes.

“My lady,” Edric said, an sincere tone in his voice. “I am sorry if I offended you. And I just want you to know, with everything that is going on……..should you need my help at any time, come find me. Once the Brotherhood’s job is finished, I will return to be Lord of Red Mountains and Starfall. You will be able to find me there, and I’ll do everything I can to help you.”
 

“My Lord,” accompanied the heavy knocking on my door as I awoke quickly, my arm searching for my sword, an instinctive reaction from the time spent with the Brotherhood Without Banners. When I was called in my sleep, it had usually meant danger.

But as the heavy knocking on the thick wooden door echoed around my room, I remembered I was in Starfall, and at worse we were under siege. And if that was the case, my people were well prepared. My regent, Ser Allard of Palestone Sword, had done a good job as Lord of Starfall whilst I had been away. We could survive a siege for at least 3 months comfortably and if we rationed, much longer. And my men where we trained and hardened by the recent campaign, when Doran Martell, my liege, had called his banners to support Lord Aegon of Rain House in his claim for the Iron Throne. So the tension in my body left me as I sat up slowly, my battle hardened body stretching to wake itself up.

“Come in Corenna,” I called back having recognised the voice of one of my courtiers. The door slowly opened and Corenna's head peered round its edge.

“I’ll let you get dressed my lord.”

“Don’t be stupid Corenna. You’ve seen me in all sorts of states of undress since I was a babe."

“Lord Gerold Dayne has requested an audience with you regarding an urgent matter that he told me cannot wait.” Corenna had rushed out the sentence which meant she believed the same to be true. And they didn’t always see eye to eye. But not many saw eye to eye Ser Gerold Dayne. I got to my feet and went over to put on the clothes that had been set aside for me for the morning and quickly got dressed.

“Do you know what it is?” I asked Corenna as I pulled the final garment on and headed towards her and the door to my chamber.

“He said he would tell only you first,” was her response as we stepped into the hallway and made our way to the throne room of Starfall.

------

Protocal dictated that I was seated before Ser Gerold Dayne entered the room with whatever news it was he had for me. The fact that this Protocal was being followed meant that the news was neither of an iminent or urgent nature. The rest of the council had not been woken, which was something I'd probably have to get used to. I'd only been back in Starfall for three years, and all though I was Lord of Red Mountains in name, in practise my Regent and My Council were there for every major event and decision until now. Now I was a man grown, and I ruled The Red Mountains completely. Obviously the nature of this event didn't require the presence of the others, so they were not called.

Having taken my seat, the only other person in the room was Corenna, who I dismissed now in case what was about to be told to me was of a sensitive nature. With Corenna gone, I signalled for the guard at the door to let Ser Gerold in.


The doors opened and Ser Gerold Dayne of High Hermitage stepped into the throne room first, making the 50 foot walk towards the throne of Starfall. The room was dimly lit by a few torches light around us, castin shadows long and short around the room. During the day this room was well lit by the Dornish Sun, but now it had an eerie quality to it. Behind Ser Gerold Dayne came four knights of Starfall, follwing Starfall's Master-At-Arms with what seemed to be a hostage in tow. The hostage was short and in torn grey and dim rags. The person's build was slight and their head was dropped down, and they were almost being carried into the room to be brought before me.

"My Lord," Ser Gerold Dayne the Lord Of High Hermitage greeted me. Most men would apologise for waking their Leige Lord but I knew that for Ser Gerold, even calling me Lord was a sign of respect. Ser Gerold was his own man, and followed his own rules. And I was mentored by him on my return to Starfall, all though many questioned that decision. But I was three and ten at that time and I had started to form my own opinions and character before. What being tutored by Ser Gerold did achieve, was making me as good with spear, bow and sword as Ser Gerold was, and just the year before this, I had been knighted myself for my prowess. Of course the stories of my heroics at the Mummer's Ford had helped my case, that being the only battle I had been in.

"Ser Gerold," I responded as I surveyed the scene and started to try and peace together what was about to be laid before me. The "hostage" seemed to be drained of all energy and of no threat to anyone. So the reason for this person being important enough for me to be awoken was intriguing.

"This smuggler, outlaw or outsider was found on the shores of Starfall by a patrol my lord. Our soliders approached to find out if she needed assistance as it seemed as if she had washed up on shore. However this bitch slit the throat of one of our men, nd the second only just escaped her blade before she ran off into the night. We sent a search party out after her and managed to corner her as she approached the castle, scaling the mountains to our walls. Even out numbered she still tried to fight us off. We had to rough her up a bit just to subdue her."

I tilted my head as Ser Gerold Dayne told the story of this............girl. He had called her a bitch, meaning she must be a female, and her small frame suggested she was just a girl, maybe two or three years younger than me. I got up from my throne and stepped forward. I felt like I knew this girl.

"My Lord, I suggest you don't get to close to her," Ser Gerold warned.

"Ser Gerold," I replied. "She is a girl, that I'm presuming you've unarmed before bringing to me. With you and four of our men here, I'm sure I have no cause for concern."

I stepped up to the girl who was being held up by two of the soldiers and leaned down slightly but her short her was just covering her eyes from mine.

"What do you say to these accusations?" I asked the girl before me. This question seemed to cause her body to tense, as if my voice had awoken her mind. Her body then froze, before her neck started to slowly bring her head up, as her features came into my view despite the lights of the flames and the darkness of the shadows flickering of her face. She didn't say anything, maybe she was using all of her energy just to look up. But I did.

"Arya?"

 
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Well first of all welcome to my attempt at a Crusader Kings 2 Game of Thrones Mod AAR. I've been a fan of this mod for awhile and have ready a number of AAR's but I've never really emersed myself fully into a game.

Until now....................hopefully.

Anyway, as you can see I'm going to be taking on House Dayne in the Dornish Region of Westeros and I've started the game from the Feast for Crows starting point. I have played the game till Edric Dayne is of age to be a ruler and Arya Stark is almost of age. Before this and for the story I will be taking some liberties with the console. A started the game as Jon Snow so I could find Arya Stark. Then once I found Arya I waited until Edric was of age and have now moved Arya Stark to his court through the console. I will also most likely change a few stats on Arya as I don't feel her current stats really represent her time in Braavos for those who have read the books or seen the show.

So the story is based of a chapter in the A Song of Ice and Fire series were Edric and Arya are both with the Brotherhood without Banners. I've again taken some liberties and changed the ending and some of Edric's history. If people want me to point out what I changed, I will. And the angle for the story is can this small High Lord and a daugther of a once great house, get revenge for all that has happened to her family.

Anyway, hope anyone that takes the time to read this enjoys and all comments are appreciated.

Chapters

 
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Give the Gift
Arya POV

At first the light was painful as my eyes slowly fluttered open for the first time in what seemed like a long time. It pierced my eyes quickly and unrelentingly as I grimaced and raised my hand to my face. Then so many thoughts started to race through my mind that I felt my body start to be taken over by panic. Where was I? Was I in danger? Had the last five years been a dream.

I forced my eyes open and found my surroundings to be unfamiliar. Bright amber stonework surrounded me and I was in one of the most comfortable beds I had slept in for years. The purple satin sheets that covered me were cool against my skin despite the heat of whatever climate I was in being clear to me as well. The ocean breeze coming through the open window was the perfect opposite to that heat though as I attempted to gather my bearings. Over in the corner was a young man, asleep in a chair, an orange dim light hitting his features from what was either a sun rise or a sun set. But whilst his face was familiar to me, I didn't know who he was.

I looked around for a weapon. My daggers though were nowhere to be found. In fact my normal clothes where not anywhere to be seen and instead I was wearing some sort of nightgown. My weapons not being on hand though didn't make me weaponless. I slowly slipped out of the bed and put on a dress that I assumed was to be mine anyway and then put to practise the skills I had learnt in Braavos. Happy with my appearance, I headed for the door.

"Well I bet that comes in handy," his voice startled me as I jumped back, ready to defend myself. The young man who had been sleeping in the chairs eyes were on me with an intense concentration and curiosity. He got up to his feet, and came towards me slowly. He stood about six or seven inches taller than me, with a few strands of pale blond hair almost falling over his dark blue, almost purple, eyes. My brain said to run, to scream, to escape. But for some strange reason I felt safe.

"All those years ago, when we last spoke. I never thought I'd actually see you again." He said, as I could feel my eyes squint, almost in challenge to what he was saying to me.

"Who are you, and where am I?" I demanded from him as I backed up slightly, noticing that the man had a sword in his holster, leaving me at a disadvantage.

"I'm Ned," he said, backing up slightly as if he felt my unease. "Well officially I'm High Lord Edric Dayne III of Red Mountains and Starfall, but when we last met I was just Ned of the Brotherhood without Banners."

I focused on his face, the pale blond hair, the dark blue eyes, the genuine soft and caring smile. And then the realization hit me like a wave crashing on the shore. I stepped towards Edric and put my hand on his face, the emotion of actually seeing someone from my past, that I hadn't seen for so long, rushing over me. I had made it to Starfall. It had been a long shot, but apart from my brother Jon at the wall, I did not know where any of my old family was. And Jon wasn't in a position to help me deliver the gift of the Many Faced God to those that deserved it.

"I can't believe I found you." I said to Edric as he just allowed me to take in the fact that I had found someone in this world that was my ally.

"You know, it would be nice to see your face instead of whatever that is," he said to me as I turned away from him and took my own features back on. He smiled upon seeing my face.

It was six o'clock in the evening and as the sunset, we talked into the night. We talked about where I had been and what I had been through. And Edric talked about the same, and about how he planned to try to unite the Stone Dorish people under his leadership and how his Liege Doran Martell's war supporting the "supposed" Aegon Targaryen was so far very successful and almost over. And then I told him why I had come to him.

"I'll be honest with you Ned," I said to him as we both sat on my bed, the hour getting late." I've come back to give the gift of death to some people that truly deserve it. I want revenge Ned, and I'll do anything to get it. I want to see them suffer. I want the Freys and the Boltons to feel my pain. And I want them to know it was me who delivered it."
 
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My Secret
Arya POV

I am Arya of House Stark and as far as I'm aware, I am the last legitimized Stark in the known world, let alone Westoros. I was the youngest daughter of Lord Eddard Stark and Catelyn Stark. But King Joffery Baratheon took my father from me and Lord Walder Frey took my mother, and my brother The Young Wolf Robb Stark. I fled Kings Landing upon the death of my father, and attempted to get back to my family only to lose all hope and heading for Braavos. It was there I learnt a collection of skills I never thought I would learn. But whilst that was happening, my sister Sansa Stark fled the capital, blamed for the death of Joffery Baratheon.

Sister, if it was you who killed him....................I applaud you.

Now my sister is missing, and as for my younger brothers, they were burned alive by the traitor that used to be my father's ward, Theon Greyjoy. All I had left was my bastard-born brother Jon Snow. But he became Lord Commander of the Nights Watch, and as much as I'd love to be reunited with him, that would conflict with my goals.

To kill those who wronged my family.

Be it by poison, be it by blade, I will avenge my family.

That is why I came to Starfall, in the Stone region of Dorne. I needed to be in the game to kill those who played it. And the only ally I hoped I had left and that I was confident in, was Edric Dayne of the Red Mountains. I met him when I was with the Brotherhood Without Banners, and he offered to help me. Now I had come to see just how much he was willing to do.

-------

The first six months took some adjusting. The climate was as unrelenting as the cold in the North but instead was blistering hot. But as time moved on, my body became used to the blazing sun of my new home and the mountains and hills were beautiful to behold during any part of the day. I was treated as a honored guest but my parentage was kept secret from all but a select few. Lord Gerold "Darkstar" Dayne and Ser Allard of Palestone Sword were the only other two who were allowed to know my true identity.

Lord Edric Dayne took me on as his ward and I was given the identity of a Girl from Braavos that the Iron Bank of Braavos had sent for tutoring. It was flimsy but my knowledge of Braavos soon put to rest most people's doubts as to the truth to that story. Edric tried to teach me as best he could at swordsmanship and diplomacy but he found me accomplished with the blade and uninterested in diplomacy. I hadn't come back to rule.

But our time together did bring us closer. We spent many a night discussing his plans for taking Blackmont and the Prince's Pass. And the ambition of being part of Doran Martell's court in Sunspear. And I discussed ways we could make my revenge possible. And for it to be possible, I needed Edric to have some power in the realm. I would help him claim power and authority to he could help me in return.

I actually started to respect the man, who was different from the boy I had met years ago. He was still polite and kind, but he had become more authoriative as time went by with his as Lord of Red Mountains. He was proud of his history and worked hard to allow his people and lands to propser. And prosper they did. And as the end of the year came around, Lord Edric Dayne was readying his men to go to war as he laid claim to Blackmont. And I found myself worried that he wouldn't return. If he didn't, my chances at revenge dwindled.

And I'd lose a friend.

With the days drawing closer, a raven from Sunspear arrived. As Edric's ward he allowed me in his small council meetings. There was much interest in the contents of the message that had arrived. Was it a call to stand Lord Edric's armys down? Or was it a call to Sunspear for some sort of event or position.

Instead Prince Doran Martell proposed that Prince Trystane of Dorne and Princess Arya of the North marry?


All the council turned to Lord Edric to see his reaction. Maybe expecting anger or fear. I looked at him and also wondered his reaction. We had talked lots about my revenge. Marrying into the Martell family would give me the sort of powerful ally I would need. Lord Edric however laughed and told the Maester to take down his response.

"To my Liege, Prince Doran Martell of Dorne," he started as the Maester took down his words. "We are confused to why your raven landed in Starfall. If you wish your son to marry Princess Arya of the North, then surely your raven should have been heading North. However I'm sure that she has already married into the Bolton Household. Sincerly Lord Edric III of House Dayne."

His council many shocked at the letter from the Prince of Dorne, all started to stare at me, trying to decide if I was indeed Arya Stark or if the Prince was going mad. And it was because of the Prince of Dorne's bold move at marrying his son to me, that my presence in Starfall became one of the worst kept secrets in all of Dorne.

But fortunately for me, it stayed in Dorne.................for now.


Whether it was because of this response or because Prince Doran hoped to convince Edric to allow his son to marry me, when Lord Edric left with his just over four thosand men for Blackmont, there was no call to stop his advance and to disband his men. Instead Sunspear was silent as with twice the numbers, Lord Edric's men were successful and Lady Larra of Blackmont sued for piece, bending the knee to Lord Edric and reuniting the Red Mountains.


I would bide my time, see what Edric was capable of and if I didn't believe him capable, I would write to Prince Doran myself.

At least that's what I told myself, but if I was true to my heart, I wasn't going anywhere.
 
What an interesting duo to be the stars of an AAR. You say the goal is Arya's revenge, but the title says brings up the Sword of the Morning. A side goal?
 
Thanks for the comment. The idea of these two came from re-reading the books and I've always enjoyed the dayne's as I am partial to the dornish region and prefer playing a young Lord to start. This lets Edric become more involved in westeros.

I'll admit I've got a bit carried away with Arya though because she is the biggest thing happening in Edric's life at this time of the AAR as he's only just become old enough to rule. He still dreams of emulating his uncle and being the sword of morning.
Next chapter should be an Edric POV.
 
Love this so far although I must admit Arya is not my favorite but still this is really well done :).
 
Thanks man, it's much appreciated.

As for Arya, she is one of my favourites, if she turns into a bad ass assassin. But if that doesn't happen then her whole story arc will be disappointing.
 
Thanks man, it's much appreciated.

As for Arya, she is one of my favourites, if she turns into a bad ass assassin. But if that doesn't happen then her whole story arc will be disappointing.

Well lets hope the game goes in your favor :).
 
Ambitions and Guilt
Edric POV​

I am Edric III of House Dayne, Lord of The Red Mountains and Starfall in Dorne. And ever since I was a child, I was taught about how great my house is and was. One of the most important houses in Dornish history, and the only house where a Knight can be gifted the greatsword Dawn and become the Sword of Morning. But when I look at the facts I just see "was" a great house. We sided with the Targaryen's and we lost because of it. My father passed away leader of a House that was no longer that great. My uncle was taken from this world by Eddard Stark of Winterfell. And one of my aunt's took her own life, most likely because of the same man.

The don't fail to see the irony of who is in my court.

But that is another matter for another time.

House Dayne used to be a great House. One just need look upon the history books to see what an important role we have always played in Dornish and Westerosie history. We are one of the most Ancient Houses in the Seven Kingdoms, our ancestry going back to the Dawn of Days. The Lords of Starfall where Kings of the Torrentine. Yes, we were kings amongst men. One of my great ancestors, "The Starfire" Samwell Dayne burned down Oldtown in one of the many wars the men of Starfall have thought against the Reach. "The Sword of the Evening Vorian Dayne was sent to the wall after being defeated by Nymeria. So we adapted, we supported Nymeria against another great house of Dorne, the Yronwoods and Ser Davos Dayne, a Sword of the Morning was Nymeria's third husband and gave her a son. So we are not only one of the most ancient houses in Westeros, but also we have the blood of Nymeria running through out veins.

We were a great house, but the War of the Usurper crippled us and left our links to the throne and one of our great knights extinguished.I was too young to do anything about it then. But I'm not too young now.

Fortunately for me, Ser Allard of Palestone Sword had with the help of my small council and my mother and last remaining aunt, had managed to help my house profit during the War of the Five Kings. Staying out of the war let them focus on benefitting from it. We focused on making weapons and selling them near any warzone. The weapons had to be guarded but apart from the big armies of the Lords fighting for the throne, most outlaw groups caused no threat to our men. We also spread word of the safety of Dorne, and how close and accessible Starfall was. Truth is, for an outsider it is not that easily accessible. Navigating the Mountains of the Stone Dornish region has beaten many an army. But we allowed refugees into our lands as long as the pledged loyalty to our house. We gave them jobs, either training to be apart of the army or working the land. We used their strength to build Starfall up.

So by the time I pressed my claim to be the Liege Lord to Blackmont, we were more than ready to beat them in a war and united the Blackmont lands with the other lands of the Red Mountains. It was during this war though, with my life on the line as I led my men, that I realized there was still so much for me to do. I still wanted to unite more of the Stone Dornish people. I had my small council working hard on finding anyway for me to have some sort of legitimate claim on the Prince's Pass. With that we would have easy access to the rest of Westeros without garnering too much attention. But with those lands currently out of my hands, there was nothing to stop the Lord's of Sky Reach and Prince's Pass from letting the world know if I travelled through their lands.

But it was also this time that I realized there was more to life than just gaining power for my house. During the campaign, as we travelled to Blackmont through High Hermitage, and when we travelled back, I found myself lacking company. I had spent most of my nights talking with Arya, and now my nights were spent on my own, in a tent guarded by knights. So when Corenna came to visit me one night, I did not turn her away.

She had come under the pretense of informing me about the War for the Iron Throne. Stannis's claim had ended as he had passed in a battle for the North. That allowed Kings Landing to turn all of it's attention to the supposed Aegon Targaryen who had grabbed a foothold in the Stormlands. My own liege lord had pledged his forces to Aegon, and it looks like the war would drag out. Both forces seemed evenly matched. However whilst I had sent a token force for Prince Doran's efforts to support Aegon, I had kept the majority of my men, hoping my Lord would not find out, and had so far stayed out of the war for the Iron Throne.

However Corenna didn't leave...........until the next morning.


It was strange when we woke up. I felt on top of the world, but also a racking guilt weighed me to the ground. It was a strange feeling that I couldn't explain. But that didn't stop Corenna's visits. Nor did they stop when we got back to Starfall, all though they became less frequent. I still had my nightly talks with Arya.

She was happy to see me when I got back, running up to me and giving me a hug, the Northen rigidness seemingly softened by her exposure to the Dornish ways. She told me she was worried that I might get hurt or worse and I reassured her that we still had much to do before I could let that happen.

Especially as one of the first things that my council told me, was we now had a claim to the High Lordship of Prince's Pass and the Lordship of Skyreach.
 
Just a quick not for anyone reading this.

The last two posts are meant to reveal the type of ambitions of these two characters, whilst letting you know what happened in the first couple of years leading to where I'm planning to really start the story. I wasn't exactly sure initially of what pictures to keep as the story was initially meant to start from when Arya turned 16, but then I decided to do some build up to that time and don't have all the pictures for everything that happened.

The story should get more detailed and deeper as we get closer and closer to where I'm currently at in game as I took more and more screen shots later on.
 
An ambitious lord, wishing to restore his family to glory. How high does he wish to climb though? Any chance of seeing a Lord Paramount Dayne?
 
Starfall's Star Rise
Edric POV


Time passed slowly as I eagerly awaited the time we would be ready for our campaign against Skyreach, Prince's Pass and Lord Franklyn "the Old Hawk". My men were training hard every day, the wounded from the previous campaign on Blackmont where healing, and somehow through a monetary gift and the promise that she would remain the Lady of Blackmont, Lady Larra actually had a good opinion of me, enough to join the Liege Loyalists. And my council were working hard on various tasks to improve House Dayne's standings. I couldn't say enough in fact about how good my council was, and I told Ser Allard, my Castellan as much. He along with the likes of Gulian my Justiciar, Ser Gerold Darkstarm my master at arms and the others, my position was strengthening. I jost hoped Gulian wouldn't get caught because of my ambition as his next task was to see if he could extend my claim to Yronwood.

It was during this time that Arya, coming into her ages as a woman, started to become more and more impatient with me and with the lack of ground we had made on achieving her goals. Whilst we still had our nightly chats, she pushed more and more for me to declare war against the Freylands and the Twins. At first it was just small mentions of the fact that we had hardly lost any men, and how masterfully I had taken Blackmont. At first I brushed it off, bringing to light that Blackmont was not the neck. Surely she knew that we didn't have the men to take the Freylands or the Neck. I explained that once we had taken Prince's Pass and maybe Yronwood, and we had established our control their, then we might be able to make a move.

She then started to suggest we visit them there. If the Lord of Red Mountains perhaps went to visit the Wall, the Freys would welcome him into their halls. There, we could kill Walder Frey, she was convinced no matter how many guards he had, she could kill him. But I simply pointed out that my presence there and his sudden death would raise questions I didn't need. And I had no intentions of ever eating Walder Frey's bread or salt.

At first she simply seemed slightly upset by my rejections of a move on the Frey's. But then word came down from King's Landing that the wars in the realm had subsided. Tommen Lannister and his forces had beaten both Stannis and the pretender Aegon, despite the help of Dornish Forces. Fortunately for Dorne, Lord Tommen seemed to overlook the part that Doran Martell had played. Whilst Stannis was sentenced to Death and Shireen Baratheon was banished from Westeros, and Aegon simply disappeared and his men disbanded, Doran Martell was surved no punishments. Maybe Tommen was trying to right the wrongs of his family against the Martell's.


The fact that the Lannisters had won infuriated Arya and her please for action got greater and greater. She ignored the fact that if I thought we weren't ready to take the Freys on, that we definately wouldn't be ready to take on the Iron Throne.

So her please turned to taking the Prince's Pass, I had no doubt this was to just appease me and get to her goals quicker. Despite this arguments though, we still spoke every night. After all I sympathized with her. These people had done her family wrong and taken everything away from her.And I would help her, but not at the cost of my house.

When we arranged our forces in Starfall and declared our war for the Prince's Pass and Skyreach, the smile on Arya's face was huge as she came to see me. She immediately started to talk about how this was her first campaign and how useful she would be. So her anger erupted when I told her she would not be coming. I told her she needed to stay in Starfall, and that I could not avenge her family if she died in battle. If I was to ever help her, she had to be alive. I could not declare war on the Frey's, the Lannisters or the Boltons without her. She pointed out she couldn't do much without me either if I died and that she would put money on me taking Corenna. I chose not to mention Trystane all though he was now married, or to delve deeper into the conversation with Corenna.


Whether it was because the armys of Doran Martell were diminished after supporting Aegon, or if Doran Martell wasn't even bothered, there once again was no interference from Sunspear. However Lord Franklyn did get the support of Hellholt and Lord Ulwyck. Fortunately for us, the forces Lord Ulwyck offered were pitiful. If he had fully supported Lord Franklyn, we might have been in trouble.

In what was a strange move Lord Franklyn took his troops to Hellholt to join up with Lord Ulwyck's forces. Perhaps he didn't want the battle taking place on his home turf in case he won. Either way, the over seven thousand men of the Red Mountains easily outnumbered the three thousand plus combined forces of Prince's Pass and Hellholt. Even so, I wanted to lose as few men as possible.


With the significant numbers, I lined my men up with the most forces to the right and left flank, with just under equal the amount of our enemy in the middle. I led the left, and the plan was for the flanks to quickly dispose of our enemies flank and then cut inside, causing their army to be struck from three sides.

It started well, our men in the middle, bravely holding their line. Men sacrificing themselves for my cause because they believed in me and what I was trying to accomplish. It filed me with pride that men would put their live on the line like this for me. Even with my heritage and my Dayne Blood, it still touched me.

My men had soon over run their right flank and my men cut in. Our numbers great enough that we attempted to curve all the way around their army and box them in. It would be a massacre and I was hoping for Lord Franklyn's men to yield. But that didn't happen, and as I came around leading my men, I took the lives of more men, not remembering the number as I merely tried to surivive and thrive. I found myself seperated from my men, a good number of the enemy between me and them. I looked for a way back, before hearing my name being called in a aggressive and derogatory manner.


I turned to see Master Ulrick charging for me, battle filled rage in his eyes. My brain told me, that I should flee, return to my men. My death here today would cost my house and my friends their desires. But the Dayne blood in me roared. Who did this man think he was to challenge me, the Nephew of Ser Arthur Dayne. I expected more, but his charge was rash. Was it the desire of an old man to better someone younger? Or was he just rusty or never actually that skilled with the sword. His swing was easily telegraphed as he swung the blade from his right to his left. Way to high simple to duck under. And as his blade rushed over my head, and I had my choice of location to stick my blade. I went for the weak point of his armor, just under his chin, and my blade pierced his flesh and skewered his head. I quickly pulled my blade free and let his limp body fall to the floor.


My men cheered, the enemies men deflated. We had won, the enemy submitted. And I sent word to Lord Ulwyck. Bend the knee, or I was coming to sack Skyreach.


He had no choice!​
 
Arya grows impatient as the Daynes grow stronger. I'm happy to see Tommen won against Aegon though. I would have preferred Stannis, but Tommen winning in the end isn't so bad.
 
Yeah, I don't know if me making sure Jon didn't accept stannis offer to be Lord of winterfell effected anything but stannis never looked like winning. Aegon was in a strong position but then lost a bunch of big battles.

For my AAR I think tommen winning is best though.
 
Just reassuring you guys this isn't dead. Just been a busy couple of days.
 
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The Heart Wants what it Wants
Corenna POV


Sometimes everything you thought you wanted, just isn't everything you expected it to be. When he came back to Starfall, and he started to grow into a man, I was sure that I wanted him. I knew then that I'd never be his wife, and at the time I thought I was okay with that. After all, there was no way the likes of I could dream of being the Lady of Starfall. Edric Dayne was destined for greater things and needed a wife of equal footing.

But as he grew, as his muscles developed from his training in the yard with Gerold Dayne, and as he grew into a gentle but firm and proud man, the idea of being his Paramore seemed hollow and empty. I put the feeling aside though. Maybe I wasn't thinking clearly. Us Dornish are known to sometimes think with what's between our legs instead of what's inside our skulls. So I pursued him. And at first I don't think he even noticed. I think he thought I was just being nice to him, like any other courtier would.

Then Arya arrived.

At first she was just some nobody who had washed up on the western shores of Dorne, that had killed a couple of guards and somehow had been forgiven for this crime by Lord Dayne. The smallfolk gossiped about who she was and why the usually fair and just Lord Dayne would allow this outsider to get away with killing Starfall men. Some argued that because she was just a girl, that Lord Dayne was right to be gentle. Some wanted her life for the life of the Starfall men. I at first didn't care. But then it became obvious that Edric and this Arya shared something. A history or a kinship of some sort. He would spend many a night in Arya's room. And if I didn't know what type of man Edric was, I'd have been worried about what they were doing.

Then the whispers started. She's clearly a Northern Girl! She looks like an older version of that Stark girl that went missing. Many dismissed it. Surely if she was the Stark girl, they wouldn't use the same name as hers. They'd give her a new name to hid her from the world. But I don't think Edric or Arya ever planned to hid her identity, they just decided to not be forethcoming with it. It was around this time it dawned on me that if this was the Stark Girl, she would make a good match for Edric and Jealousy started to seep in.

So when Edric went to war, at first with Blackmont and then with Lord Franklyn for Prince's Pass, I made the most of it. Whilst Arya was left at Starfall for her safety, I went with the troops. I knew it would be dangerous, but I also knew that Edric would be alone. And on that first night, it felt right. And I let myself fall into a dream of a world that had no Arya, and a world in which I was a Lady of importance.

When we returned, the gutting feeling of being forgotten was great. But to my surprise Edric still visited me, in between visits with Arya. At first I fooled myself into thinking I was winning him over. Edric even told me that he and Arya were not like that. And I believed him between the wars of Blackmont and of Brimstone. But when we returned from the second war, and Arya came to Skyreach to be reunited with Edric, my heart sunk.

She had grown into a woman.

And no matter what Edric said from that point on, I just had that feeling that I wasn't the one. And all though I had kidded myself that it was okay, In my heart I knew it wasn't. But that still didn't stop me from seeing him and from wanting him. And I cursed the fact that I could not hate him.

In Skyreach, a letter came that caused much fuss in Edric's council meeting with his advisors. Rumors started to fly, and all sorts was suggested. Whilst some of the claims of Edric being the next Sword of Morning or the new hand of the King were far fetched and false, I found the truth out from a serving maid who was sleeping with Ser Allard.

Prince Doran Martell of Dorne had offered Edric the position of his Chief General, due to his efforts and exploits for himself and in the attempts to back the declared False Aegon Targaryen.

That didn't concern me. I was confident that if he acceped, I'd go Sunspear with him. If he declined, nothing changed. But that night, Arya and Edric were heard arguing in his chambers. Whether it was about the offer, about Arya's heritage and claims or about something else entirely, it was loud enough that it was the talk of all the courtiers by the morning. But all wonder was put to rest as the whole court was called to hear Lord Edric declare that he was to marry Arya, and the ceremony would occur with the month followed by a tourney in Starfall, the preparations having been made quickly.


That night, when he visited me, I learnt what had happened between them that night. Arya wanted Lord Edric to take the offer, and being in charge of the armies of Dorne, as well as having the ear of Prince Doran, Arya wanted Edric to convince Doran to right the wrongs of the North. Lord Edric believed the chances of Doran being convinced was small to none. And that the invite was a ploy to get Arya Stark in Prince Doran's court. Edric didn't know Prince Doran's plan, but didn't plan to play along with it. So he told Arya he was turning it down. Arya argued that he was not living up to some promise he had made her years ago as children. Edric told her he couldn't risk his life avenging her family, without leaving his lands and people with a heir and continuing his family dynasty.

The argument somehow turned into the idea of marriage. Arya would give Edric an heir, and then Edric would have no excuse. I didn't understand what Edric saw in Arya, but that night, they had apparently become more than whatever they had originally been. And I sensed that perhaps Arya had experienced more passion from Edric than I had, and it made my heart heavy.


In the coming days, responses came from Lord Edric's subjects. All were happy to attend but one. Lord Franklyn, despite being allowed to be lord of Prince's Pass, would not be attending the wedding, nor would he accept any other invite from Lord Edric. This saddened Edric but he understood his plans would mean some would despise him. And he would not falter because of this. When Gulian returned for the wedding frm Yronwood, he explained how he had used the marriage between The Sword of Morning Davos Dayne and Nymeria from hundreds of years ago, to explain Edric's devine right as a son of Nymeria to the lands of Yronwood, who had eventually bent the knee to Nymeria. It was far fetched, but the people of Yronwood apparently were starting to believe this and all the history could be backed up. However Gulian did warn that using this claim could concern Prince Doran, as using this claim of being a son of Nymeria could be seen as a claim towards Dorne as a whole.


The wedding was beautiful, even I had to admit that. Arya looked like a noble lady, and it was at this ceremony where the truth was revealed to it's fullest. Arya Stark walked down the isle, in the colors and sigil of House Stark, before Edric put his own colors and sigils around her, taking her as his wife. The spirits in Starfall were high. The party went long into the night, but I went to bed early. I couldn't be part of the celebrations. And I couldn't drink.

I stayed in Skyreach as the court and all of it's visitors made the trip together to Starfall in grandeur. A heard storys of the Tourney. Many a great tilt was watched and nobody was hurt which was a good omen. It came down to Ser Gulian of Duneside and Dickon Manwoody in the final joust. After a total of 32 tilts, Ser Gulian unhorsed Dickon Manwoody and was declared the champion of Starfall. He even declared Arya the Queen of Beauty, the people growing to love the Lady of Starfall quickly now she was thrust into the limelight.


I'll admit, I took some pleasure in my return to Starfall though. As I returned with my son, Andrey Sand. And Edric did not deny the child was his and my quarters improved drastically. Arya was not pleased but seemed to understand that the customs of our people meant she couldn't show outrage. Edric didn't speak of how Arya took it to me personally though. Just the looks she gave me seemed to spell out her feelings.

I wonder if her hatred for me increased when I introduced her to my second son Aron?

 
So you married Arya when she came of age. I take it the children will be Daynes, not Starks?