Flashback scene - Ser Arstan returns to Starfall

[ihateseagulls]

Random flashback scene.

Ser Arstan: ME (degausser on Fan Forum)
Lady Asheria: Sofia (MovieManiac on Fan Forum)

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[ihateseagulls]

Asheria DayneAsheria had been surprised when she read the bit of paper the Maester handed her. Ser Arstan Estermont. The last time she saw him she was a little girl. Around the age he had been when he came to Starfall. Her father raised him like a son. Especially after his true son was taken from him. Yet at her Lord father's funeral the knight was nowhere to be seen. He was serving the King, wearing a white cloak. She assumed that cloak must have meant a lot to him if he'd rather be too honorable to take a short leave and do his duty instead of paying his respect to the man who he owed everything. This was proven wrong when she heard a few vintners gossiping about him a few months ago. The knight had broken his oath. He bedded a noble woman and was dismissed from the Kingsguard

[ihateseagulls]

Ser Arstan EstermontArstan could not help but lock onto the pair of dark eyes that briefly met his. Any familiarity he might have felt upon meeting those eyes was quickly overshadowed by the cold reception he received from the girl they belonged to. Arstan shifted uncomfortably where he stood and watched as she stretched the strings of her bow and focused on her target. When she next spoke, Arstan was absolutely certain that he had heard her incorrectly. He replayed her words several times in his head before coming to the eventual conclusion that his first assessment was correct. He had heard wrong. The woman before him could not have said that she was the Lady Asheria Dayne because there was no way in seven hells she could have possibly been the Lady Asheria Dayne

[ihateseagulls]

Asheria DayneThe knight didn't say a word for a while and gaped at her in a way that reminded her of a fish. She passed the short moment by putting down the bow, taking off her gloves and looking at him once more. He looked worn out. Like he spent weeks drinking wine and ale without stopping for a breath

[ihateseagulls]

Ser Arstan EstermontWhat she said had been true. Even now though, after having a few moments to compose himself as well as become familiar with the woman who stood before him, it was still a strange sight to behold and not one he would become readily used to. A thought briefly flashed in his head that brought him even more shame. His initial thought had been that the girl in the courtyard had an attractive figure and a comely face. Arstan flushed as he revisited that thought and was grateful that his coloring could easily be attributed to the fact that he was baking underneath the sun in his rusted armor and tattered cloak

[ihateseagulls]

Ser Arstan EstermontArstan hoped beyond all hope that the level of discomfort he felt by her hospitality did not show on his face. She was extending him a kindness he simply did not deserve, but Arstan knew better than to reject the guest rite once it was offered. “You are most kind, my Lady,” he offered gravely, before bowing as a show of acceptance. Truth be told, he was relieved. In the wake of his dismissal from the Kingsguard Arstan hardly slept. He traveled where his whim took him and his mind spun wildly whenever he found a quiet moment to himself. Even if Starfall was not his home anymore, it was still familiar to him which was a comfort he had not known in six months

[ihateseagulls]

Asheria DayneWhen Asheria arrived in her chamber her two handmaidens where already preparing her bath. They asked her their usual polite questions about her archery practice. Once she was in the bathtub and one of them was washing her hair and the other was preparing her dress she noticed a look between the two. They then asked her about the handsome knight she was talking to before in the yard. Asheria saw her handmaidens as good friends but that didn't stop her from telling them that she did not desire to talk about it in a tone that would make them stop pushing the topic. She then added that they would find out at dinner and she didn't feel the need to talk about this topic more than once

[ihateseagulls]

Ser Arstan EstermontWhen Lady Asheria returned she looked more the image of what he anticipated he might find upon his initial arrival. Her dress was lavender, and even in the dim lighting of the candles that flitted about in the dining room he could see her House colors brought out the violet in her eyes. In her dress Arstan could see the full shape of her womanly figure which had been previously obscured by her working clothes earlier. The thought was fleeting, and he quickly tucked it away in the back of his head. These thoughts were not appropriate for a Knight of his station, even if he was shamed Knight. She was the daughter of his foster father and deserved the respect of the title she now assumed

[ihateseagulls]

Asheria DayneShe simply replied to his compliments with a polite smile and nod. The Lady was curious if these compliments would continue after she'd make him talk about the topic her undoubtedly wanted to avoid. Otherwise he wouldn't have wanted to leave the castle just after he arrived. Asheria took her seat and the servants placed a plate with a leaf of bread and fish on it. They also filled one of her cups with wine that she wouldn't touch until before the dinner was over. Instead she took a sip out of the cups that had water in it

[ihateseagulls]

Ser Arstan EstermontWell played was all he could think once she dismissed her hand maidens. The dining hall fell to an uncomfortable silence. One could hear a pin if it dropped on the floor. Arstan could see now that the Lady Asheria was not going to let him off the hook so easily, though he could not even begin to wonder about her motives. Her face was remarkably inscrutable, and although he remembered the child, the woman before him now was a stranger. Perhaps that was why he was so hesitant to speak so freely as she bade him

[ihateseagulls]

Asheria Dayne
Asheria did not reply to his objection. No need to waster her breath. She could tell that he would speak of it either way. When he finally spoke her mask fell for the first time since he had arrived. Thankfully he was not looking at her surprised face. He loved this woman? The gossip just spoke of him bedding her. And no one said anything about him confessing it either. Asheria assumed that he had been caught. It was a pleasant surprise in this unpleasant situation.

"You confessed?" She asked this time there was the true tone of surprise in her voice that she did not bother to pretend before. "It is well known that in history... and most likely still, some men of the Kingsguard do not keep this vow. But unless they are discovered it is not spoken of in public. Why would you openly confess and shame yourself and be dismissed?" The lady asked and the former coldness in her voice was now replaced with honest curiously.

[ihateseagulls]

Ser Arstan EstermontArstan simply nodded to her first question. He searched her face for anything that might give away what she was thinking. Women had always been curious creatures, especially the women he had come across in King’s Landing. Most of his experience had been with the high-born ladies sent to court with the intent of finding suitable husbands. Naturally, these ladies were always on their best behavior and it had been difficult to surmise whether their words were ever genuine. With Lady Asheria he had hoped for a more transparent exchange, but so far their exchange had been rife with tension … the exact opposite of what he desired

[ihateseagulls]

Asheria DayneAsheria had to smile but she turned her head so he wouldn't see. Every man makes mistakes. Some bigger than others. But it took honor and bravery to be honest and deal with the consequences. She was glad to see that those qualities weren't lost to the Knight. Now believed that she could forgive him one day. "Send my dear handmaidens in again. I believe the stories that will now be told will be pleasant enough for them as well." She said

[ihateseagulls]

Asheria DayneWhen he arrived in the yard before she had thought like he had been drinking for weeks. It had probably even more than that. He was right. If he had arrived in this state she would have let her men drag him out after one look at him. It took a lot out of her to let him in in the first place. It was only his respectful tone and the purpose of his visit that stopped her from doing so before. Now of course she found out the story is quite different from what she thought and there was still hope left for him

[ihateseagulls]

Ser Arstan Estermont
To say he was utterly surprised by her words would have been an understatement. You will stay here until you figure out a way that will not make your story end this way. He repeated her words several times in his head. When Arstan finally found the courage to travel the long way to Starfall he did not know what he expected, much less desired. Of all the possible scenarios he had played out in his head while on the road, none of them ended with the offer Lady Asheria made him. Had she tossed him out the front gate upon first seeing him, he would not have been surprised. Arstan deserved no less. But this … this

[ihateseagulls]

Asheria DayneThey left the crypt as quietly as they entered it. She just wanted to wish him a good night when he suddenly spoke again and was down on one knee. Asheria was startled to say the least. She thought about his offer. She did not know what would make her a greater fool. Accepting or declining it. Should she really accept the oath of a man who broke his oath to the King himself? Should she refuse the sword of one of the most skilled knights in the seven Kingdoms

[ihateseagulls]

Ser Arstan EstermontThe gravity of her words were not lost on him. Ser Arstan knew she was going above and beyond the call of her station by affording him a roof for shelter. By offering him her sword he was asking her to take a large gamble with him. If she rejected his sword he would not have blamed her, and part of him wished for nothing more than to speak up and advise her against this arrangement. His was a sullied reputation and she had been right in saying that his shame had also brought shame down upon the honorable House Dayne. Words were wind. He could speak the words and make the oath but only time would heal the wounds he caused, and only time would prove his words true or false