act i . chapter xxii

PARTING WAYS
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The entirety of the attendees of this Harrenhal Tournament didn't speak a word of what was witnessed the previous day. But everyone knew it. Everyone forgot the look on Jaime Lannister's face when he was sent back to King's Landing of the eve of his induction. Whispers of any rumor of Ashara Dayne being dishonored was history. Any interesting joust was swept from memory. People even seemed to forget Rhaegar had won the tourament. All they were thinking about was the faint possiblity that their favorite royal had more of a taste of Targaryen madness than everyone thought. Even Ned may be considering that possiblity. He would never think of it just by looking at the prince, but recent actions have proven otherwise.

In a queer, almost haunting way, everything proceeded as planned. The very last day finished with the archery contest and the melee. Ser Yohn Royce won the price for archery. The melee, of course was won by Robert. No one could stand against him and his great war hammer.

And now, in the late evening, they were loading up to leave in the moring. Ned was going to go back to the Vale with Jon and Robert. Lyanna and Benjen would go back to Winterfell with Father in order to put tings into place. They would all come back south to meet Brandon at Riverrun for his wedding. But everything was strange since Lyanna was crowned Rhaegar Targaryen's Queen of Love and Beauty.

There was something about the air that was different. Everyone seemed off. As if they were alienated from their own selves. His Lord father was nervous about gods know what. The King had not made another public appearance since the Knight of the Laughing Tree. Prince Rhaegar seemed more secluded than the first day of the tourney.

Robert was in a constant state of anger. He would not even try and talk to Lyanna. He did nothing but complain and grumble about the Tagaryen Dynasty, though he was pointing most his words at the Crown Prince. And Lyanna... her attitude was the strangest he had come across. She was not as quickley provoked to anger. She was secretive. And she used more loving words towards her family in two days than Ned had remembered in the last five years.

But there was a certain tension between everyone. Not just Robert and Rhaegar. Between entire groups, within groups of people. Ned never wanted anything more that to get out o this place and away from all this people. He almost wished he could get away from Robert for just a while. He wanted to go back to Winterfell. He wanted to spend more time with his brothers and sister.

But then, he remebered, that it wouldn't be too long before he was married to Ashara and they would keep a small holdfast in the North. Ned would be free to visist his family anytime he wanted to. Only his favorite would be even further south than he was now. Ned could not imagine his life so far from Lyanna. Robert was more like her than she thought, but more differnent than they could bear. And to think Ned was the one who suggested the union to his father. How stupid could he have been? He didn't even ask Lyanna about it.

It was something that Lyanna, nor Ned could ever forgive him for. It hurt his heart. He loved Robert. He hated to see him as angry as he was, yet he felt as though he deserved it. Robert should have treated his sister better. Ned should not have to control Robert's impulses around his sister, yet he did. He grimaced when he thought again of the fact that he would not be there to stop it in the future.

Ned pushed the thought out of his head as he loaded up the remainder of his things into the loading cart and walked over to where his younger brother and sister were talking.

"You're not really going to ride in the wheelcart are you, Lyanna?" Benjen asked his sister, folding his arms across his chest, the fresh leathers scrunching against each other. "I feel like she is playing us some sort of way."

Lyanna stood by the door of her unused wheel cart and and looked at Benjen silently, unamused. "We've been at the gods-forsaken tourney for two weeks, Ben. I've been the center of multiple dramas. Is it so wrong that I, a Lady, should be so drained that I want to restrain myself from riding for the time being?"

Benjen eyed her suspiciously. "It's not wrong. It's queer." He turned to Ned, holding his hand out. "Isn't this weird?"

Ned nodded with a slight grin coming on. "I think it's even stranger that your arguing with her."

Lyanna smiled at Ned's comment and side-eyed her younger brother. "That's right, Ned."

"Aye, it is," he said with compassion as he took a step forward to his sister and wrapped his arms around her, picking her up and squeezing. "See you at Bran's sentencing."

When he put Lyanna down, she raised her eyebrows. "Sentencing?"

"Have you met the Lady Catelyn?"

Lyanna chuckled. "Aye, I have." Ned grinned and stepped to Benjen, wrapping him in a hug. "Soon it'll be your turn, Ben."

Benjen shook his head. "At this rate, I'll be married by the year's end."

"Goodbye to you both," he bid adieu, nodding to them both.

Lyanna then stiffened the air, taking both her brother's arms. "I love you both," she said seriously. Benjen looked at her strangely.

"Lyanna, are you sick?" Benjen asked her.

Ned didn't laughed, he only smiled. "I think she's fine. Thinking of all this moving around, we won't have much time left with each other," he agreed. Then he turned to his sister, who smiled at him with grace and compassion. He took her by the shoulders. "I love you, Lyanna," he looked and Benjen and slapped him on the back. "And you too, Ben."

And with that, Ned walked away. He overheard Lyanna tell Benjen to "be sure Father knows where I am."

He went to the Crown encampment first to say goodbye to his newly betrothed, Ashara. There was much more bustling and talking over here, Ned noticed. There were much more Houses riding South with them, not to mention the size of the Targaryen, Martell, and Lannister parties. Ned didn't quite know his way around the encampment as well as he did the North's and the Vale's, but he managed. He knew better not to look for Sword and Falling Star banner's, because Ashara would not be staying with her House. She would stay near to her lady, Princess Elia. Ned would have to sneak by.

Covering his arrival with a standing wagon, he creeped closer to where was saw Elia Martell standing in front of her wheelhouse with two of her handmaidens and Ashara. Ned looked around for any sign of a kingsguard. He saw Ser Whent standing in front of the ladies. Ned understood that he wouldn't be seen if he discreetly came from around the wheelhouse and prodded Ashara to come with him.

He did just so. Ned reaches his hand from around the corner, holding on to one of the wheels, and tapped her on the back. Ashara, surprised, turned to see who it was. When she saw it was Ned, her purple eyes light up and she feigned a sneeze. She looked at her lady, holding her nose. "Excuse me, my Lady."

She joined Ned behind the wheelhouse, laughing. "You snuck back here!" she scandalously said, hitting him playfully on the shoulder.

Ned grinned and took her hands in his. "I came to say goodbye. We'll be separated for quite some time," he said in a whisper, careful to not be heard. Ashara pokes her lip out in a frown and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I'm going to miss you, my quiet wolf." Ned moved closer are kissed her on the cheek.

"And I'm going to miss you," he told her. Ashara gave him a toothy, cheeky smile and pulled him back to her and planted a hard kiss on his lips.

"It won't be too long, my handsome man," she added. "Goodbye."

Ned began to back away, the the corner of his lips curling ever so slightly. "Till we meet again, my lady."

With all his goodbyes said, Ned found himself atop his horse, his riding leathers squeezing his shoulders and gloves making his hands sweaty. He looked to his side to Robert, who said nothing. His blacks eyes moved away from Ned's gaze back to the path before them.

Ned huffed, doing the same. He would wait until Robert cooled down before anything was said. It was better that way.

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A/N: alright guys... everyone is parting ways. The kingdom is unsettled... and Lyanna is up to something. What's gonna go down? We'll see next chapter with Lyanna's point of view, herself.

Looking at all the story stats, it seems as though Lyanna, Rhaegar, and weirdly Ashara are the favorites. I'll implement her more into the story and make sure she has some more POV chapters. I will that you guys wouldn't be so ghostly and tell me what you like so I don't have to refer to stats... but it has come to that.

I'm also doing a new thing where if the chapter is a BIG deal, I'm capitalizing the chapter name. Like instead of brandon iii it will be BRANDON III. And that's no lie. Brandon 3 will be a big one. Be ready.

Edit: never mind I stopped that.

LYANNA IS NEXT STAY TUNED. (and this is a capitalized chapter)

Ta-Ta