The dark colour of the crown prince’s armour seemed to both absorb and reflect the sunlight.
Arthur stood in silence after Rhaegar marched up the winding stairs to reunite with the Lady Lyanna. Many minutes passed, and he sat waiting outside the tower with Ser Oswell, half-listening to the prince's muffled conversation while the other knight sharpened his sword in silence with a whetstone. Lord Commander Gerold practiced his swings with deadly grace, whirling and parrying imaginary foes.
The Dornish sun was treacherous. He wiped a bead of sweat from his brow, glancing down at milkglass-bladed Dawn resting in resplendence at his hip. A part of him wanted to use it, to cut down the Usurper and defend his prince to the death if needed, but Rhaegar forbade it, assigning him here.
He must see the plan through. He must.
Arthur tapped at his armoured leg with his fingertips, awaiting news of the war. Ravens came to the tower of joy oft enough, he supposed, but information of the usurper’s rebellion was not as detailed as the Dayne would have liked. Whatever knowledge came through, though, Rhaegar made sure that Lyanna knew much and more. He always made sure to ease any worry she had.
It had been longer than Arthur expected when he finally saw the familiar black armour and ruby-crusted dragon sigil pause in front of him. He craned his head, purple staring into an even darker shade, and saw the raw determination boiling underneath Rhaegar's gaze. He must have been half-weary, yet his outward disposition was so calm and composed. How much of it was a show?
“Have you heard more, my prince?” Arthur found himself asking.
“My cousin moves on us faster than expected. The time has come for me to meet him and put an end to this nonsense.” Arthur followed him to his black destrier, as dark as his own armour. Rhaegar stared at his helm tied to his horse’s side, running long fingertips over the red-painted dragon heads at the top.
“What would you have me do, Rhaegar?”
“I still need you, Ser Oswell, and Ser Gerold here, dear friend.” Those were not the words he truly wanted to hear, but he must obey the king. “I must go alone to meet our army. I need you to continue guarding Lyanna and the babe.”
“And what did she say?”
Rhaegar smiled. “Only that if I do not return, she would ride off herself and hunt for me.”
“A hard ride with a belly as large as hers, surely.” Ser Arthur had felt the babe himself, the strong kicks shifting her stomach, hitting his palms. She seemed as strong as ever, though, and he found himself growing accustomed to the fiery young she-wolf.
“It’s Lyanna,” the prince laughed, clasping Arthur on the back. “I must listen. If I don’t, I fear she really will do it.”
Arthur gave a bow. “Of course.”
In one swift movement, Rhaegar was atop his horse, donning his helm. Indigo rested on Arthur again as he rose his visor.
“Arthur, my friend,” his iron-toned voice was muffled only slightly, “the babe is close. Should I fail to return before he is born, head to King’s Landing with Lya. Bring her home to me.”
You will return here. Arthur decided not to tempt fate, and bowed again. “Your wish is my will, my prince.”
The corners of Rhaegar’s eyes crinkled before he stared forward and rode off, kicking up sand and dust in his wake.
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It's funny cuz like, dumber and dumber obviously gave Sir Arthur Dayne two swords in a classic "TwO SwoRDS wilL BE totaLLY Cool yoU GUYS". But i was there the entire time wanting to drill in their heads that "DUAL WEILDING ISN'T FUCKING POSSIBLE, IT'S AN IMPRACTICAL TECHNIQUE NO WONDER THAT GUY IS DEAD". Reed backstabbing him to save Ned was pretty cool though.
Like Ser Arthur Dayne was called the Sword of the Morning because he was deemed worthy a knight to wield House Dayne's ancestral greatsword, Dawn. A sword not many have been considered worthy of yielding. Its famously a greatsword which is the heaviest kind of sword and requires TWO HANDS.
So either dick and doodlehead think wielding two Greatswords is possible, or they just didn't know what Dawn was so they went "what if Dawn was 2 swords so he could carry both and be inefficient in a fight"
Howland Reed saving Ned Starks life was considered so note worthy because he killed Arthur Dayne one of the most skilled swordsman of the Seven Kingdoms. KINDA UNDERCUTS THAT MOMENT IF YOU MAKE HIM A DUMMY WHO USED TWO SWORDS BECAUSE YOU WANTED A FLASHY WEAPON PULL.
When in reality it's so much better then that as Arthur Dayne and Ned kick the fight off with the greatest exchange instead of a weapon flash.
Ned’s wraiths moved up beside him, with shadow swords in hand. They were seven against three.
“And now it begins,” said Ser Arthur Dayne, the Sword of the Morning. He unsheathed Dawn and held it with both hands. The blade was pale as milkglass, alive with light.
“No,” Ned said with sadness in his voice. “Now it ends.
As they came together in a rush of steel and shadow, he could hear Lyanna screaming. "Eddard," she called.
It's not flashy and cool its supposed to be emotional and weighting because of the context of this battle. But no, just...just give him two swords because bevis and butthead don't understand the concept of what a greatsword is or what undercutting emotional weight is.
They were too busy making Ser Arthur Dayne make a season 5 reference when it makes no sense instead of establishing him as a character who sore a sad smile at the approaching battle because he was a good, chilvarious knight fighting for the wrong side doing his duty.
It's fine though. He used two swords and won that fight and totally wasn't laughably insulted like 20 years later by Jaime Lannister for it.
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Born in Flames || Game of Thrones
OC x ?😏
-> Chapter X "Be careful"
Chapter XI ''Why?''
She was shocked, that was her reaction to these words. Did he just... Offer to kill Daenerys for her...? Where did he get the idea that she wanted this? And what makes him think that if her aunt lives, there will be a massacre in Astapor?
How can he walk up to her just like that and say such things?
"What? No...!" she replied after the first shock had passed, although she still couldn't believe what she heard.
She wanted to say something else, dozens of thoughts were running through her head, which she tried to weave into one sentence, but a scream behind her interrupted her.
"You!" she turned sharply away from Roran, noticing that the Slave Market was suddenly no longer so crowded. "How dare you? How dare you call yourself her family?"
She felt like she was in a dream when this man - whom she had feared ever since she met her aunt - Jorah Mormont, had a sword pointed at her. She recognized the same glow of hatred in the blue eyes as in her dream, but also sadness and disappointment.
"Lower your sword." Ser Arthur stood in front of her, sword already drawn. His voice was unusually calm for the situation they were currently in.
"How can you call yourself a knight? How can you defend her if you know what she's planning?"
"Put your sword away." he repeated, not referring to any of the accusations thrown at him.
"No." the word was almost as sharp as the sword itself.
Visenya instinctively took a few steps back. She wanted to somehow stop what was about to happen. She didn't want to see any of them die, even though - believing the stories she had heard or read - she already knew the outcome of this fight...
Yet despite this, she was now in fear for her life in a way comparable to how she had been when she fled King's Landing.
Before she realized that bloodshed was unfortunately inevitable, she noticed something else...
"Where is Roran?" she said it quietly to herself. She quickly looked around, there were still some people in the market, although everyone was staying away from the knights who were pointing their swords at each other. Even with this amount of people, she could say that Roran was nowhere to be found. He ran away? He got scared? Or maybe...
How stupid I am... Stupid, naive child...
Before she could think it through, she ran back to where she and her aunt currently lived. Thoughts about the duel between the two knights were pushed to the back of her mind by the growing fear for Daenerys' life.
Ser Arthur was right, how could I not see that Roran was manipulating me? Is that even his name? Why is he doing this? Why does Jorah want to kill me? Was he manipulated too?
If she dies... I will never forgive myself. It's my fault, it's my fault, it's my fault...
With these thoughts, she ran, squeezing between people. Some people looked at her like she was crazy as she ran past them, never slowing down. Sometimes she bumped into someone and hurriedly muttered an apology without even turning around.
Because of this, she didn't notice someone who was following her like a shadow.
It was already getting dark when she ran into the house, she couldn't even see much because the candles didn't provide enough light to enlighten the entire room. In this light there were no signs of any struggle, did she panic unnecessarily?
But if Dany was at home, she probably would have come out to her by now, or at least said something...
Maybe she also went somewhere? No, impossible, Jorah would be next to her then, he wouldn't leave her alone outside the house...
What if she sent him to kill me?
She didn't know what to think anymore... Was Daenerys also manipulated by Roran? Did he talk to her too, wanted to turn her against her niece?
Or maybe he told her that I wanted to get rid of her? That would explain Jorah's words...
Everything in her head instantly froze when she entered the room where the dragons were kept. as soon as she crossed its threshold, she was struck by the squeals of these animals, as well as the sight of a bleeding woman lying on the floor. She immediately rushed to her, placing her hand on the wound, trying to stop the bleeding, even though it was too late.
She felt tears welling up in her eyes and immediately flowing down her cheeks. It hurt more than the knowledge of what had happened to her parents and siblings... She had no influence on those deaths, she could mourn them, it could hurt like hell, but she had never known them, so she quickly stopped crying at the memory of their stories. But now... She was directly responsible for it. It was her stupidity and naivety that cost her aunt her life. She had already gotten to know her and like her, she was good, she was so good... She could have done so much good, she shouldn't have landed under the cold ground, Visenya should have been there as a punishment for her mistakes, not her.
"Why?" she raised her tearful gaze at Daenerys, who said these words with obvious difficulty. She saw regret in her eyes. Even if she was told that Visenya had decided to kill her, she wasn't angry, but disappointed... Devastated that her niece turned out to be such a person...
But that's a lie! I didn't want to! In this short time I have managed to love you, I would never want you to die!
"I didn't... I'm sorry... I didn't... I... I didn't mean to..." the tears prevented her from speaking, much less seeing if Daenerys had heard it before her vision went blank. She almost choked on her tears as she rested her head on her aunt's chest and closed her eyes.
She didn't try to control herself, she didn't want to. She should despair at her stupidity, it was her fault, if she had been smarter, if she had listened to ser Arthur and his suspicions, this would not have happened.
She felt so terrible that she didn't even think that the killer might still be in the house, or even in the same room. Or she thought about it, but she wasn't going to worry about it? If she dies, it will be an appropriate punishment. Maybe she will find solace in death? Maybe she will be overwhelmed by darkness and emptiness, where she won't feel anything? So what if she doesn't feel joy anymore, if she has never really experienced it anyway? So what if she doesn't feel joy, if now she is consumed by sadness and if it left with her soul, it would be easier for her body. Even if it were to lie a few meters underground.
A few steps away from her, a candle flame reflected in the blade of a dagger covered in blood. Roran slowly raised his weapon, silently approaching his next target. He was already standing right behind her. He carefully crouched down to give himself a good opportunity to strike her right in the back.
He was about to swing and plunge the blade into Visenya's back when suddenly the sword stuck into his back and came out on the other side.
Hearing these sounds behind her, Visenya instinctively raised her head and turned towards the attacker crouching behind her with a sword piercing his chest.
"Who do you work for?" shaking, she barely understood these words, and in the darkness she couldn't recognize the face of the person who saved her. She moved back against the wall and wrapped her arms around her knees, trying to somehow control the shaking of her body.
The man remained silent, even though he didn't have much time left. It seemed that he would not betray the person who had commissioned him to do all this, but when the defender twisted the sword stuck in his chest, he choked something out of his throat.
It was very slurred and softly spoken - or rather groaned - but it was understandable.
Spider.
She knew who had that nickname.
The murderer's body fell to the ground and after a while blood began to ooze out of it, staining the floor.
Immediately afterwards, another person rushed into the room, visibly nervous at first, but the sight of the man who had saved Vis and herself seemed to calm him down a bit. Visenya was still quite distant and didn't see who she owed her life to, but she wasn't going to change that anytime soon. She kept her eyes on the floor, tears already drying on her cheeks. Her hand was still dirty with Daenerys' blood, some of it soaked into her clothes as she hugged her knees.
I have her blood on my hands. Ser Jorah's too, if he's dead...
Ser Arthur and Ser Barristan looked at her and whispered briefly to each other before Arthur told him to leave him alone with Visenya for a moment.
He approached her slowly and crouched down next to her. At first she didn't notice it, as if she was still stuck in her own reality.
"You killed him...?" she asked, sobbing softly. He nodded in response, and she cried a little louder for a moment. "It's all my fault..." she raised her eyes a little, directing them towards the dragons locked in their cages, who were constantly screeching and demanding attention. "I don't deserve anything, what will I do now..." she hid her face in her hands.
"Everyone makes mistakes... It's important not to give in to them and learn from them. As long as you live, you can still change things." She shook her head, as if not accepting Ser Arthur's words. This mistake was catastrophic, how can he just accept it as a lesson and move on? "If you just sit there and cry, they won, it will all be in vain." she still didn't want to listen to him, even though some part of her told her that he was right. If she continues to despair, it will be as if the murderer had achieved his goal and destroyed her. It's just hard to accept a mistake when it has had such terrible consequences... "Do you want it to drag you down like it happened to your father?"
At the mention of her father, she slowly removed her hands from her face and looked at Ser Arthur.
She looked... Maybe not horrible, but definitely like a picture of despair. Her eyes were red from crying, her cheeks were wet with tears, and she was sniffling. She looked like she could fall to pieces at any moment. In this terrible condition, she had to find the strength to wipe her tears and decide to move on. He can't do it for her, no matter how much he wants to.
"Don't dwell on what you did wrong. Learn from it and leave it behind, don't go back to it, don't let it drag you down. This is the way of the world, cruel and merciless, no matter whether you are a good person or a criminal." he paused to think about how he wanted to put into words what else he wanted to say to her, before continuing, in a slightly quieter voice. "You have a gentle heart. Now you could consider it a flaw, say that it only bothers you... But if you decide to move on, gain strength and support, you can change the world for the better. I believe that nothing happens without a reason. The same way I believe in you."
As he said this, her eyes remained focused on him.
She knew he was right that she couldn't grieve and dwell on this moment forever, or it would eventually come to define her life. But...
Can she change the world? If it's cruel, how could one soft-hearted person change it? How can she find the strength to make bold and sometimes difficult decisions to change this world for the better? How will she know what is good? Why should anyone listen to her, follow her vision of the world? How to find the strength to get up, wipe your tears, look yourself in the face and say: I screwed up, but it's not over yet.
I owe it to her.
The thought suddenly flashed through her mind.
If she wasn't going to move on for herself, she should do it for Daenerys, for her goal. She is dead because of her, but her goal is not dead, she can pursue it. She owes her at least that much. That's right, if she gives up, the murderer and his employer will win. She can't let this happen.
Daenerys would not allow that. As far as she was able to get to know her, she knew that she had been through a lot in life and had finally learned to turn suffering into motivation, into strength. She should learn the same. She should be like her or better, if possible.
Not only for her, but also for all those people who suffer in chains. After all, she had lived as a slave for seventeen years and even so was treated better than all these people. She had never been punished as severely as they were. No one deserved this, no one deserved to die like these people from the Walk of Punishment.
For Selaria. For her, who stood first with her mother and then with her. She gave her life so that Visenya could run away and start a new life. Perhaps even avenge her family and claim the throne of the Seven Kingdoms.
For Ser Arthur, who turned out to be her true friend in all this, who did not abandon her, who saw her in her most vulnerable form and still did not abandon her saying that she is weak, but decided to help her get up from her knees.
She had just realized how naive she was, but at the same time she found the confidence to completely trust this knight and the oaths he made to her. If someone like Ser Arthur Dayne believed in her, then she should too.
"Thank you." they were just two words, but they expressed more than any monologue she could have ever delivered. In these words and that very gentle smile there was a promise of everything she had already promised herself in her head.
When she reached out to take his hand, it meant more than any possible declaration of trust. The squeeze of her hand gave as much encouragement and motivation as all the previous words put together.
I will be better. I will predict events. I will change the world for the better, I promise.
For Daenerys. For Selaria. For myself. For everyone.
~
-> Chapter XII "Follow the vision of a better tomorrow"
-> general masterlist
-> Game of Thrones/House of the Dragon masterlist
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