Chapter 11 17 страница

" I could only hope to eventually be considered on the same level as the legendary Sword of the Morning or Lord Nox, Princ – Arianne. "

'Humble too. Such a rare trait to find these days, considering almost all men like to strut about like a stallion out to stud. Yes, this young man has the qualities that I'm looking for. He'll need some refinement but he's still young. He will grow. ' Gracing him with a dazzling smile, she looked back and forth between Sand and Snow. Daemon was giving her a more than slightly amused look as she did so. He knew exactly where her thoughts were, they'd discussed it a length before and he'd been one of the first to agree to help her take her place as ruler of Dorne, even if he knew that she would never be his. 'Well, maybe not never…This is Dorne after all. '

" The display between yourself and Daemon here was quite impressive, Jon Snow. " Arianne stated, slowly circling the young man. " Tell me, Daemon, if you two of you were to spar, who would emerge the victor? "

Daemon didn't hesitate. " If we were to spar with swords alone, Snow here would win without question. But if we were to spar while I wielded by spear, then I believe I would have the edge over him. "

His words brought her up short slightly. Daemon, much like her uncle, was not one to exaggerate their skills. They were both good and they knew it. For Daemon to say that Jon could potentially beat him, he wasn't just trying to build up Snow's confidence. He was serious. " And what of you, Jon? " she asked, turning the young man. " Do you think you can take on Daemon while he wields his spear instead of the sword? "

To his credit, Snow didn't answer right away, preferring instead to turn and study Daemon. " I believe I could, Pr – Arianne. "

'Confident. Good. ' " Then, let us put that to the test then, " Arianne said with a clap of her hands. " You two shall spar. Daemon with his spear, and Jon with his sword. First to ten victories will take the match. And to give you both a little incentive, I shall put a wager of my favor to the winner on your little contest. "

Jon looked confused at her statement, but Daemon merely gave her a sidelong look. Regardless of the looks, both accepted and Jon moved off to the weapon rack to replace his wooden training blade for a training blade. " Daemon, " Arianne whispered quietly, ushering her uncles squire to her. " Test him, but don't hurt him. "

To her surprise, Daemon merely laughed. " Arianne, I fear your concerns may be misplaced. If anything, you should be concerned that he will be the one hurting me. "

Raising her brow at the statement Arianne stepped back towards a shaded section of the training yard and took a seat amongst the cushions on the ground. As she and her cousins got settled, she watched with rapt attention as Snow and Sand choose their respected training weapons before meeting back in the center of the yard. Daemon held his spear in both hands, the shaft crossing his body on an angle while the tip pointed slightly towards the ground. Jon meanwhile took a stance that she had never seen before. He stood with his sword level with his arm and pointed on an angle towards the ground while he turned his body slightly so that his side was facing Daemon.

" Begin! " Arianne shouted, signaling the start of the match.

Daemon struck first, letting go of the spear with his left hand while he thrusted with the right to extend the reach, trying to draw first blood. But before the spear could ever even get close, Jon parried the attack away before quickly countering by stepping in close to Daemon and placing the tip of his sword directly over Daemon's heart. The entire exchange lasted less than a few second, but there was no doubt that Jon had taken the first point in just two moves.

" Didn't realize he was a water dancer, " Nymeria commented as she leaned forward, suddenly very interested in the fight going on before them as Daemon and Jon reset themselves.

" He isn't, " Obara countered. " I have watched Jon and the sorcerer spar for hours on the ship. From what I've learned, Jon prefers two forms of fighting. This one he and the sorcerer call…'makashi' I believe it was. It focuses on quickness, precision attacks, and counters. His other style is called…'juyo'. I – I fought him once when he used that style and…that was one of the few times I truly feared for my life. Even though we were only sparring. "

Now Arianne was even more impressed than she already was as she watched Jon and Daemon trade blows with one another. This time Daemon, after losing the first point so quickly, had adapted a more cautious approach as he tried to figure out Jon's fighting style. 'Jon Snow, ' she thought, licking her lips. 'You are just becoming more and more of catch with each new thing I learn about you. '

Holding his wine glass in one hand while swirling the dark red wine around, Nox carefully examined the board resting between himself and Prince Doran. The various pieces on both sides of the board were scattered throughout as both players carefully moved their pieces across the board as they tried to kill the king on the opposing side. Seeing a path to victory, Nox leaned forward and moved his heavy horse piece across the set number of tiles, placing it near Doran's dragon piece, which was nestled up against a mountain terrain to block the path to his king piece.

His move made, Prince Doran went to immediately counter his move, only to pause as he truly looked at the board. " Impressive trap, " the Prince muttered, retracting his hand from his dragon piece. " I almost fell into it headlong. I didn't take you for an expert cyvasse player, sorcerer. "

" Never played a game till our brief stay in Volantis, " Nox admitted. " But my homeland has a similar game. And strategy is strategy. No matter whether you're partaking in war, politics or a simple game like this. "

" Some would argue differently, " Doran stated, moving his catapult around the mountain terrain to flank Nox's heavy horse piece. " While they all require a level of strategy, the nuances of each are vastly different. "

" Perhaps, but they all boil down to the same basic principle, " Nox admitted, taking his dragon piece and using it to remove Doran's elephant from the game. " In order to win, you must get your opponents to think they know what you are doing, and then do something they do not expect to take their victory out from under their feet. "

Looking down at the board, Doran went to take his move but then stopped. Even without sight, Nox knew the game was over. His dragon was poised to take Doran's king piece, which meant that he would have to move his trebuchet in order to prevent the dragon from moving into a killing position. But if he made such a move, then his light horse would be able to move to the spot that would be vacated, and the game would be over anyway.

" Well played, " Doran nodded, tipping over his king piece in admittance of defeat. " Well played indeed, sorcerer. "

" It is but a game, Prince Doran, " Nox shrugged. " In the grand scheme of things, you are perhaps one of the best players in all of Westeros; on level with Tywin, Olenna, and Jon Arryn, if my analysis is correct. "

" Flattery, " Doran chuckled. " I'm but a crippled man stuck to this wretched chair. "

" Your body may not be in it's prime, but your mind is far above almost all others, " Nox countered. " Your play with your brother in Essos speaks volumes to your abilities to play the game. "

" Oh? " Doran asked, leaning back. " And what was my play with my brother? "

" To find out if there is anything that you can use to sway me to your side when you make your move against the Baratheons and the Lannisters. As well as to set up a few other parts of your long-term plans. " Nox replied casually.

Doran didn't appear fazed, not that Nox expected him to be. The man was a master politician after all. " I'm afraid I'm not sure what you're talking about sorcerer. Yes, I did send my brother to Essos to try and learn if you were in fact from that region, but House Martell and Dorne are loyal subjects to the crown. "

" Ha, if anyone actually believes that, then I have a wonderful plot of land to sell them in the middle of the Bite. " Nox chuckled. " You want vengeance, Prince Doran. Do not try and deny it. The Mountain killed Prince Aegon by smashing his head in with his bare hands. Then raped your sister to death with the boy's blood still on him while Lorch stabbed your niece over a hundred times. Then both were presented to Robert Baratheon, who not only smiled at their deaths, but released and rewarded the two men responsible for their demise. If you weren't planning on taking revenge, then I would be disappointed in you. Such an insult cannot go unpunished. "

Picking up his own glass, Doran took a long drink. " Robert. The Mountain. Lorch. You missed one if revenge was truly my goal. "

" Tywin, while complicit, is not guilty of the murder of your sister and your niece. Aegon yes, but not the women. " Nox answered, holding up his hand to stop Doran's response as he continued. " While ruthless, you and I both know that Tywin is smart. Elia and Rhaenys were far too valuable. Ideally, he would want Elia to be married to his son Jamie after leveraging his release from the Kingsguard. And then Rhaenys would be betrothed to Robert and Cersei's heir to the throne, thereby easing the tensions amongst the loyalists with the knowledge that the dragon's blood, however diluted, would still be on the throne. The only woman he truly wished dead was Lynna Stark because if she were to be alive, even 'soiled', Robert would name her his queen and there would be nothing he could do about it. "

Doran seemed fairly interested in his words now. Not surprised but interested in Nox's point of view. " Then why did he not condemn the actions taken by the Mountain and Lorch and have them executed? "

" Because, to a man like Tywin, being seen as not being in control is worse than being seen as guilty, " Nox answered, to which Doran nodded. " Plus, he never outright said that he had or had not ordered the attack on Elia and Rhaenys. He more than likely gave the orders for the two to be captured. But more than likely the two put up a fight and due to the bloodlust from battle, the Mountain and Lorch lost control and killed them. That left Tywin with one of two options. One; admit that his bannermen went against his orders and appear weak. Or two; say nothing and let people come to their own conclusions. So that is what he did. He counted on Robert's well-known hatred of the Targaryens to blindside the people so that no one would ever suspect that his own men went against his orders. "

Setting his glass aside, Doran folded his hands in his lap. " Your thoughts mirror my own. Tywin is a prickly sort. One who would rather be found guilty than not in control. And it is not wrong to say that I hate the Lannisters and the Baratheons for what was done to my family. But I am not engaged in treason against the crown. "

Nox smiled at the word play. He had missed this verbal sparring. The North, for all its charm, did not care for politics or verbal sparring on this level. It reminded him greatly of his time on the Dark Council. " An interesting turn of phrase to say that you are not 'engaged in treason'. " Setting down his glass, Nox decided it was time to pull out his trump card, so to speak. " My apprentice ran into two interesting individuals before we met with your brother in Volantis. A young girl and a young man, both with silver-gold hair and violet eyes. And the young man seemed most…aggravated. As if he was expecting something to happen but was denied what he thought was his due. No doubt he was hoping for an alliance through betrothal of sorts…But the father of the potential bride must've made the proposal provisional, based on certain elements regarding what could happen in the future. "

Doran's friendly demeanor, as well as the atmosphere, disappeared completely as Nox dropped his proverbial bomb on the Prince of Dorne. " Before you make any rash decisions, Prince Doran, " Nox said, holding up his hand. " Know that I have no loyalty to the Iron Throne. And what I heard can be considered merely hearsay or conjecture. Therefore, I have no intention nor desire to spread it beyond just the two of us. Unless someone was to act…rashly, of course. Then I would be forced to do what I must to protect myself and those I care about. "

Doran relaxed slightly, but not much. The man was still on edge, and rightfully so given what Nox had laid out before him. " And what would it take to ensure such hearsay did not spread? I wouldn't want such unsubstantiated rumors about Dorne spreading through the rest of the Seven Kingdoms. "

" Nothing, " Nox replied, waving the concern away. " Nothing is happening to myself or those I call my own, so no word need be spread. "

The underling meaning to his words were clear to Doran. Nox had him, and Dorne by extension, by the balls. If Doran left him alone, then the fact that Oberyn met with the exiled Targaryens would stay with him. But should Doran try anything, then word would be spread. And given the King's general mentality towards anything related to the Targaryens, well, Dorne's peace probably wouldn't last long.

" And if things were to change? " Doran questioned. " If, for some reason, those in exile brought war to come home, where would you stand? "

" Depends, " Nox shrugged. " My allegiance is not one that can be bought. But if I'm left alone, then that is that. But do keep in mind: while I do not owe direct allegiance to the Starks, I do consider Ned Stark to be a friend. And a friendship to me is indeed a rare thing. It is something which I have only acknowledged to less than ten individuals in my entire life. Thus, I would be most aggrieved if something were to happen to him or his family. "

Doran didn't seem to like that answer, but it appeared as if he was resigned to it. " Then the future will indeed be interesting should the unfortunate develop. "

" Indeed, it shall, " Nox nodded, rising to his feet. " But I feel that is enough politicking for the day. I sense something amiss in the training yard that I fear will need to be addressed soon. And while we are making our way there, perhaps you can indulge a question of mine. Just what is the purpose of the Kingsguard? "

Ever since she was a little girl, Arianne had always been fascinated with displays of skill, particularly on the field of battle. In fact, her first infatuation was with her Uncle Oberyn and had come to be after watching him spar and utterly humiliate no less than a dozen men in the yard on his own. Later, her attention had turned to his squire Daemon Sand who was quickly becoming one of the better spears in Dorne. But while she'd always enjoyed watching a good spar, she had never experienced a reaction quite like the one she was having now watching as Jon Snow thoroughly trounced one of the best spears in Dorne.

Her entire being felt like it was on fire, and not because of the heat of the sun bearing down on her. After Snow had managed to take two points on Daemon, a familiar warmth had started to pool within her. By the time Snow had taken a five to one-point lead, the warmth had grown into a raging inferno and had started to coalesce between her legs. And now that the boy, no, the young man had taken a nine to three lead and was on the match point, she was having trouble sitting still. The fire within her was all but demanding that she take the object that had stoked such passion within her. Even if he was still a slight bit younger than what could be considered proper for such activities.

And she wasn't the only one who was drawn to the display. Beside her, her cousins were all staring at the two men with undivided attentions. While she wasn't sure just how word of what was happening had spread throughout the palace, but to be sure it had. For all around the training yard, both the ground and upper levels were packed with visiting nobles and servants alike, no doubt hoping to catch a glimpse of the man that was being trained by the Northern Sorcerer and was a potential son of Dorne, if the rumors of his mother were true.

Biting her lip, Arianne watched with rapt attention as the two squared off against one another. Daemon was panting more than slightly. His spear was held at a slightly lower angle than when they started as the toll of the training the two had gone through and now the fight began taking its toll on his body. Jon though did not seem to have the same difficulties. To be sure, his breath was labored, and his body was covered in sweat, but his stance was still just as strong as it'd been when the two had started their duel.

Letting out a loud yell, Daemon lunged forward, his spear aiming for the center of Jon's chest. Jon moved almost impossibly fast as he sidestepped the lunge and batted the spear tip away. Daemon, having seen the same move before, quickly countered by trying to strike with the butt of his spear. Jon though had apparently seen the move coming and quickly moved to block it before kicking Daemon in his unprotected chest, doubling him over and ending the spar as Jon brought his training blade down, stopping just a hair's width from making contact with Daemon's head.

All around the yard, people started clapping, congratulating the two on their performance. For her part, Arianne couldn't keep the smile off her face as she watched Jon hold out his hand to help Daemon. 'Oh yes…he is perfect. And give him a few more years…he will be beyond perfect. I need to talk with Obara, and soon. I need to know if I can expect any competition for his eye or not. '

As the clapping slowly died down, there was one set of claps that did not. Even after everyone had stopped, the one set continued to clap slowly, almost mockingly, as the owner stepped out from the crowd and into the yard. " Well, well, well. The squire of Prince Oberyn, bested by a foreign boy. How low the Red Viper's standards must have become. "

Arianne wanted to curse as she quickly rose to her feet, recognizing the man making his way towards Jon and Daemon. 'Damn it, ' she cursed, holding her head high. 'Father did not tell me that Ser Gerold 'Darkstar' Dayne, of all people, would be in the palace today! '

The Knight of High Hermitage was from a cadet branch of the House Dayne and he was cousins to the infamous Ser Arthur Dayne, the last Sword of the Morning, and Lady Ashara Dayne. But while Ser Gerold may have inherited House Dayne's striking features with his purple eyes and gold almost silver hair, he had not inherited their temperament. Ser Arthur was a man of honor and Lady Ashara a woman of grace and generosity. Darkstar was neither. He was a cruel bastard at heart at most generous of times. 'And to think, there was a time I entertained the notion of tying myself to him to affirm my hold on Dorne. Thank the gods I learned of his true self before I did something incredibly foolish. '

" Ser Dayne, " Arianne said out loud, drawing attention to herself and hopefully away from Jon. " This is an unexpected pleasure to have you within Sunspear once more. "

Gerold's smiled brightly as she approached, a look that might've once thrilled her, but now filled her with nothing more than dread. " Princess Arianne, " Gerold smiled, taking her hand and kissing the back of it. " Your beauty continues to grow and shine brighter and brighter than the sun with each passing day. "

" Flatterer, " she smiled, but felt disgusted with herself for even having to act halfway interested in the man. " But I must confess curiosity as to the reason for your visit. "

Gerold's smile slipped only slightly before reaffirming itself. " Why, because of this young man here, of course, " Gerold smiled unkindly while beckoning at Jon. " I came to speak with your father on the matter and imagine my surprise to find the supposed ill-gotten bastard of my whore of a cousin here in Sunspear. And not only is he here, but apparently also humiliating the squire of the Red Viper himself and under the watchful eye of the Princess of Dorne. My, my, how far House Martell has fallen. Has House Martell already forgotten that it was the barbarians of House Stark that were instrumental in during the war against the Targaryens? The same war that saw to the death of our beloved Princess Elia and her children? Yet here you now stand with the son of the very dishonorable man who not only apparently fucked, impregnated and then abandoned my cousin, Ashara. But also murdered my cousin Ser Arthur Dayne, the Sword in the Morning. Your ancestors would be turning over in their graves if they were to see this insult to their memories. "

Arianne wanted to slap the man. But before she could utter any defense, Jon beat her too it. " My father is not dishonorable, " Jon stated clearly and loudly. " And I do not know if Lady Ashara Dayne is my mother not. My father has never spoken of her. My father fought Ser Arthur Dayne on equal footing. But, regardless, you should not speak of your kin so unkindly, Ser Dayne. In the North, we have a saying. 'When the snow falls and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies but the pack survives'. In the North, family is everything, Ser. "

Arianne just barely managed to hide her grimace. While Jon's words had some weight and good meaning behind them, she really wished he wouldn't have said anything in the first place as he didn't truly understand just how to deal with a man like Ser Gerold.

" Is that so, bastard? " Ser Gerold asked, his eyes narrowing. " Then, tell me, where was your fathers' sense of honor and family when he married that whore fish after fucking my cousin and putting you in her womb? Most honorable man in the land? Ha! Stark wouldn't know honor if it came up and bit him in the ass. And the day I believe a northern barbarian can defeat a son of House Dayne in a fair fight is the day I kiss my own ass. "

This wasn't good. She could see exactly what Gerold was doing. He was winding Jon up, provoking him into doing something rash. Something that would give Gerold reason to bring harm to him. And that was not something that she could allow. Thankfully, Jon seemed to be able to handle his emotions well enough as he, mercifully, didn't rise to the bait Gerold was laying out for him. Instead, he just closed his eyes and took several long and slow breaths, his visibly tensing body starting to relax. This was something that Gerold obviously wasn't pleased with.

" Nothing to say, boy? " Gerold asked, leaning towards Jon. " Or perhaps your supposed 'victory' over the squire of the Red Viper has given you a false sense of skill? How about a real challenge then? A spar between the two of us. And I'll even give you an incentive. Should you managed to land a single point on my person, I will apologize for words I spoke against my whore cousin, your possible mother, and that dishonorable barbarian limp dick man you call your father. "

" I accept, " Jon said immediately, his voice solemn and drawing a wince from Arianne.

" Splendid! " Gerold's smile was positively vicious.

" I cannot allow this, Ser Gerold, " Arianne said, trying to get between the two of them. " Jon has been training and sparring all morning. He is exhausted while you are fresh. A match betwe—"

" Making excuses for the boy's defeat already, Princess Arianne? " Garold sneered. " I didn't realize your tastes ran so young or along the lines of barbarians. "

" I am fine, Princess Arianne, " Jon said, stepping forward. " Even after my spar with Ser Daemon, I am still more than capable of handling Ser Dayne in a spar. "

Chuckling, Gerold began loosening the ties of his clothes to free up his movements. " You have a quick mouth, bastard. Let us hope your sword is just quick, or I won't enjoy it as much in shutting it permanently. "

As Gerold made his way to collect a training sword, Arianne rounded on Jon. " What are you doing? " she hissed in a hushed tone. " You've done exactly what he wanted. You had my father's protection and mine. But now that you are in a spar, he can harm and even maim you without repercussions! "

Jon turned to her, and when he did Arianne felt the breath catch in her lungs. His once dark gray eyes were slowly turning a dark yellow before her very eyes. " The same applies to him. And while I don't care about what he may say about me, I will not stand for someone insulting my father, their own family, or…you, princess. Don't worry. I can handle the likes of him easy. "

Moving aside, Arianne watched helplessly as Jon marched to the center of the yard where Ser Gerold stood waiting. A not-so-small part of her wanted to stop this farce immediately. Gerold was twice Jon's size and age, had been fighting for years, and had garnered quite the reputation for his swordsmanship and his ruthlessness. But it'd been Jon's confidence and the…well, aura for lack of a better term that was coming from him. When he told her that he could handle Ser Garold, she believed him. 'Don't make me wrong on my assumption, Snow, ' she thought, returning to her place next to her cousins.

Nymeria, Tyene, and Elia all had the same worried look on their faces. But Obara was…calm, as if she didn't have a care in the world. " There is no need to worry. " Her eldest cousin said softly the moment she returned to them. " Snow will win. "

Arianne was about to ask how her cousin could be so sure, but then she noticed it. Jon had changed his stance from what it had been when he'd been sparring against Daemon. In fact, his entire demeanor seemed to have changed. The calm look he wore while sparring against Daemon was gone, and in its place was a look that she could only describe as pure, unadulterated, seething rage. Even Ser Gerold seemed taken aback, though he tried to hide it as he pointed his wooded training blade towards Jon. " Nice trick with the eyes, bastard. But yellow eyes don't make you a w—"

Jon seemed to move in a blur as he rushed at Gerold, his sword arching downward towards the taller man's shoulder and chest. Gerold just barely managed to get his own blade up in time to block the strike. While he was able to block it, the sheer force behind Jon's attack defied all logic as Gerold's wooden training sword was pushed back into his chest and the large man was forced to take several steps back as he tried to regain his balance. But Jon didn't allow that as he rained down a relentless barrage of attacks on Gerold, each one forcing the older man to backstep further and further away as he struggled to absorb the powerful attacks.

With his back pressed against the edge of the sparring yard, Gerold finally managed to get his footing under him and began trying to launch a counterattack. With his base set, Garold was able to start holding his own against Jon and even started pushing the younger man back away from the edge. As Jon started backing away, Arianne's concern grew as she started to notice something about Jon's form. He continuously left his front leg forward, a clear weak point that she hoped Gerold wouldn't notice. But, to her distress, Gerold did notice and as Jon made to step back, Gerold slashed down towards Jon's exposed front leg.

But just as the training blade was about to make contact, Jon shifted his feet quickly, letting Gerold's attack pass harmlessly by and leaving the older man exposed. Which Jon took immediate advantage of as he delivered a quick and devastating down cut onto Gerold's chest with enough force to make the older man stagger back and drop to a knee. A killing blow.

Gerold immediately threw out a blind backhanded strike, which Jon easily swatted away, as he tried to give himself time to scramble back up to his feet. Time which Jon seemed to allow as the younger man started pacing back and forth with his training sword held loosely by his side. 'No, not pacing, ' Arianne quickly corrected herself. 'Stalking. Like a predator stalking its prey in the wild. '

The look on Ser Dayne's face was one of absolute fury as he readied himself once more. Letting out a cry, Garold brought his sword into a high guard with the intent of bringing his sword down on Jon's head. But Jon merely raised his sword to block, arresting Gerold's strike before it could gain too much momentum. Then Jon did something she wasn't expecting, and certainly something she hadn't seen him do against Daemon. He kicked out with his front foot, catching Gerold in the side of his knee and dropping him. As he was still falling, Jon's sword came down and caught Garold on the back of his shoulder. But, unlike his spar with Daemon, Jon didn't stop his swing before he made contact. No, he brought his sword with far more strength than a young man his age should've been able to possess and dropped a man twice his age, size, and experience face first into the ground.

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