꧁~~~Ser Arthur Dayne~~~꧂
He watches and listens as several men on horseback gallop towards the Tower. He sighs, stepping towards the rock where he left his Kingsguard helmet, and picks it up.
Moving along with Ser Gerold Hightower, they go to meet with the approaching Northmen.
Ser Arthur Dayne twirls his ancestral sword in one hand for a moment before jamming the blade into the ground so as for it to hold itself. His other hand leans on his second sword at his hip.
Arthur and Gerold look on as Eddard Stark and his Northmen stare at one another for a long and tense moment.
"Lord Stark."
He greets in acknowledgment.
"I looked for you on the Trident."
"We weren't there."
"Your friend, the Usurper would lie beneath the ground if we had been."
Hightower states as Eddard looks at him.
"The Mad King is dead. Rhaegar lies beneath the ground. Why weren't you there to protect your Prince?"
Arthur often thought of that the many nights after hearing of what occurred at the Trident. If he and Gerold were there that day, maybe Rhaegar would still be alive.
But he had more than duty and honor to worry about. The one and only thing that matters more than that was his daughter. Having just been born the day before, he swore to protect her in the wars to come.
"Our Prince wanted us here."
He calmly states as Lord Stark looks up at the Tower and then back down, frowning deeply.
"Where's my sister?"
Arthur just smiles a faint smile and nods in respect to the Lord of Winterfell.
"I wish you good fortune in the wars to come."
He and Gerold put on their helmets, Arthur gripping his sword tightly on his side. He nods to Ned.
"And now it begins."
And with those words, Ser Arthur draws the sword Dawn from the ground and the sword on his side, wielding both now as he prepares.
Ned Stark looks on solemnly, feeling saddened for what is about to happen. He doesn't want this. But it's something that needs to be done.
"No. Now it ends."
The Quiet Wolf and his men draw their swords, immediately engaging in combat with the Kingsguard. Howland Reed lunges for a strike on Ser Arthur but he is swiftly slashed and knocked out of the fight.
Gerold kills a Northman as Arthur shoves Eddard away. Catching Gerold off guard, Eddard drives his sword through Gerold Hightower's neck, killing him instantly.
Twirling his two blades around effortlessly, Ser Arthur looks around as the Northmen and Ned Stark surround him. He holds his blades out, pointing them at the Northmen with no fear whatsoever. The four remaining men swing at the Kingsguard but he almost effortlessly deflects their strikes again and again as he picks them off one by one.
Blocking high with his second sword, Arthur plunges Dawn into the man's chest, killing him. Now, the only one left is Eddard Stark.
Arthur twirls the blades in his hands almost mockingly as Ned stares at his dead men before looking back to the Kingsguard. He knew the fight would be hard. Ser Arthur Dayne is the most legendary swordsman in Westeros and possibly the world. He knows he's outmatched.
The two exchange blows again and again as Ned struggles to compete with Arthur. Ned is forcibly pushed back as his strikes become frantic and desperate which Arthur easily deflects and knocks his sword from his hands.
Ned Stark looks at Arthur in shock and is afraid for his life as Arthur raises Dawn in the air. Arthur feels like he's won. The Northmen are dead and his daughter is safe. But he catches the faint sound of footsteps behind him.
The feeling of the small dagger plunge through the back of his neck comes immediately. Dropping to his knees in pain as he chokes on his very blood as it pours out his throat. His mind thinks to fight that just occurred. He was so sure he got them all. He was wrong.
Ser Arthur Dayne failed.
Ned Stark picks up Dawn and shamefully finishes off the Sword of the Morning with his own blade.
Only meer moments after the death of Ser Arthur Dayne, a loud cry of a newborn babe cracks across the sky, making Ned run to the steps leading to the Tower of Joy.
Bursting through the door, he sees his sister lying on the birthing table caked in blood. Setting aside Dawn, he moves to her side, taking her hand.
"Ned..? Is that you? Is that really you?"
She whispers faintly and tiredly.
"You're not a dream..."
"No I'm not a dream."
He whispers with a loving smile.
"I've missed you, big brother..."
"I've missed you, too.."
"I want to..be brave...
Lyanna's voice cracks painfully a she lifts a bloodied hand to his.
"You are brave."
"I'm not... I don't want to die."
"Y-You're not going to die. Get her some water!"
He practically begs to the wet nurses but Lyanna refuses and makes Ned look back to her.
"Listen to me, Ned.....His name is..Aegon Targaryen... If he finds out, he'll kill him...you know he will. You have to protect him... Promise me, Ned. Protect my son..."
She cries softly as Ned is handed the small baby boy.
"Promise me...."
The she-wolf finally lies to rest with the hopes that her son will be okay. Ned is devasted as he prepares for Lyanna's body to be moved back to Winterfell. Her home.
But the sound of crying in another room draw his attention. Handing Aegon carefully over to Wyalla, he picks up Dawn and moves to the room near the end of the hall. Opening the door, he finds a babe crying in it's crib. Setting aside Dawn, he picks up the baby girl immediately noticing the haunting violet eyes and the black as night hair, or what little there is of it.
Ser Arthur, the man he had just killed, has a daughter. He had a child that he will never get to see grow up, to have children of her own, to have a family. Ned looks at the baby girl in shock, eyes widened as he puts the pieces together. Regret washing over him in waves.
"I promise I will protect you... You and Aegon both...."
He whispers softly to the baby girl who closes her eyes and sleeps comfortably in his warm embrace.
"Jon...and Evelyn.... This is who you are now.."
꧁~~~A/N~~~꧂
So this is my new Game of Thrones story that I hope you will all like. So in the books, Ser Arthur Dayne never had children but in my story, he has a newborn daughter who will be raised by the Starks.
After Ned Killed Ser Arthur, he kept it a mystery as to how Arthur died so as to save Evelyn's innocents.
Anyways, I hope you all like this story as I have plans for it. And if anyone has questions about the story or anything, feel free to ask as I'd love to answer any feedback.
Thank you!