Trials and Tribulations of the Oathkeeper

Chapter 111: Visions, Assassins and Crows

―Beyond the Wall―

Cave of the Three-Eyed Raven...

Deep within a cave in the frozen lands far beyond the Wall, beneath a Great Weirwood Tree, Bran Stark remained in the middle of his training as a warg and a greenseer under the tutelage of the Three-Eyed Raven himself. The journey to make it to the Three-Eyed Raven's cave was not a pleasant one; one the way with Hodor, Summer, Meera and Jojen Reed, a group of wights attacked them. And although they were eventually repelled by the last of the Children of the Forest, Jojen unfortunately did not survive the encounter. That was almost a year ago.

Now, Bran remained motionless on the ground as his eyes glaze over white. In a vision, he stood with the Three-Eyed Raven somewhere in the distant past. They stood near the mouth of the River Torentine, downriver from Blackmont and the High Hermitage. "This is Starfall," he referred to his surroundings. "House Dayne lives here. This is where the Sword of the Morning hails from."

"As did every Dayne who held the title before they themselves did," the old man reminded.

"It's beautiful here."

"It is beautiful beneath the sea, but if you stay too long, you'll drown."

"Do you really have to go?" a feminine voice asked.

Bran glanced at one of Starfall's side entrances where a tall young woman with long dark hair and violet eyes renowned for her great beauty emerging from the shadows. She stood in front of a Dornishmen wearing special Targaryen silverite armor bearing the Targaryen dragon on his breastplate and intricate suits of black scales.

"I must. Though I bear no love for the King for mistreating my niece and her children, for when Dorne swears an oath – we keep them," he said almost somewhat hesitant. "Aerys didn't need to threaten our countrymen to ensure our loyalty. But he knows we'd never take up arms our beloved Princess and will fight for whatever side Elia was on."

"When do you leave?"

"A fortnight, my beloved Ashara. My brother Doran has agreed to send 10,000 men to accompany me, Ser Barristan and Prince Rhaegar."

"And my brother, Lewyn?" she spoke. "Having the Sword of the Morning with you at the Trident could end the war in one swift stroke."

Leywn nodded, though he somewhat scowled. "I agree, but... Rhaegar reassigned Ser Arthur and Lord Commander Hightower elsewhere. Where he sent them, I do not know. Nor do I know why he did what he did, but once the rebels are defeated and Robert Baratheon slain, hopefully we'll get some answers. My niece deserves the right to know why Rhaegar chose to abscond with Lyanna Stark in the first place."

"Unbelievable. Shameful, disgraceful. Marriage is a sacred oath, one to be cherished – not be discarded on a whim."

"Well, we'll find out soon enough."

Bran watched as Ashara Dayne, sister to the Sword of the Morning Ser Arthur Dayne, embraced Prince Leywn Martell of the Kingsguard before unveiling a small girl behind her. She looked exactly like her mother; none of her father's features so far and couldn't have been more than at least five years old.

"Daddy?" she piped up.

Leywn knelt down to meet her at eye-level. "Be a good girl for your mother while I'm gone now, all right Ariyana?" he asked.

Ashara felt as if this might be the last time the father of her only child would be speaking to each other like this. The thought made her heart ache.