A song of Ice and Fire Liquid Starlight

Arianne Martell was nearly fourteen when the young knight of High Hermitage had first paid a visit to her father. A knight in his late teens, Ser Gerold had come to swear fealty to the Prince of Dorne. His own father had passed away quite suddenly, she heard, leaving him with all his land and titles. Apparently High Hermitage was a very important castle for some strategic reason. Arianne couldn't care less about that sort of thing. What she did care about was how beautiful this knight was. He made all the other men of the court look quite homely. Even Daemon Sand, who Arianne would have sworn was the handsomest of all, seemed rough and common in Ser Gerold's presence.

For the next few days after she had first seen him, Arianne Martell begged her father to properly introduce them. She was a Princess of Dorne, and his heir at that, it was only right that she should become acquainted with all the most important people in Dorne. Her father seemed strangely reluctant to allow her to meet with the knight in anywhere but the most corwded and awkward of settings, but on the fourth day of her pestering he relented, and invited Ser Gerold up to eat with them on the dais. Arianne had been ecstatic, and had spent hours with Tyene picking her outfit and jewelry for the evening.

"I don't think he's really all that handsome." Tyene said as she looked through Arianne's jewels for the perfect necklace. "And his hair is weird. Isn't he a little young to be going grey?"

"It is not _grey_, Tyene," Arianne chastised her cousin. "It is _silver_. Just like liquid starlight." She sighed dreamily.

"Liquid starlight?" Tyene raised an eyebrow. "Are you feeling alright? I think maybe you've come down with a fever of some sort."

"Indeed I have!" She cried, placing a hand on her forehead dramatically. "The fever known as love!"

"You've gone mad." Tyene feigned a look of horror.

"The only cure is a kiss from Ser Gerold! So you simply must find me a jewel that will match this dress."

"At once, my Princess." Tyene's tone was mocking, but she resumed her search for the perfect necklace. "I'll find you a jewel so lovely, you'll get more than a kiss."

"Tyene!" Arianne gasped. She paused, and gasped again, looking in the mirror. She looked quite lovely when she was scandalized.

"Will you stop admiring yourself and come help me? Why do you even need this many jewels, you've never even worn half of these." She held out a second box for Arianne to sift through.

They searched in silence for a while before Arianne slammed the lid on her box, exasperated. "Maybe I just won't wear a necklace."

"You want to meet him wearing no jewels at all?" Tyene's horror was not quite so feigned this time.

"I'll wear this." She reached into the box Tyene was holding and pulled out a circlet of bronze suns that glinted in the late afternoon light.

"Did you just reach in and grab the first thing you felt?"

"No, I had decided before I grabbed it."

"I think you picked it at random."

"This could be the most important night of my life, Tyene!" Arianne turned back to the mirror to try her circlet on. "I would not trust my appearance to chance."

"Uh huh."

It took quite a long while of fighting with her dress to get the exact look she wanted. She needed to show just enough cleavage to prove she had a woman's body now, sort of, but not so much that he would think her common. She got it, in the end, and Tyene swore she looked at least sixteen. So, feeling more beautiful than she had ever felt in her life, she made her way to the hall for dinner.

Arianne Martell had never felt more awkward and ungainly in her life than she did eating next to Ser Gerold Dayne that night. The second he came and sat down beside her (she had pleaded with her father to get that seating arrangement) she had thought of a hundred thousand things wrong with hoe she looked, spoke, ate, breathed… Ser Gerold was courteous, but that was it. As far as she could tell, he hadn't so much as glanced at her breasts, which made all the effort she had put into them seem like a colossal waste. Maybe she should have worn a necklace after all.

"So, tell me, Ser," She finally spoke, desperate to not waste what could be her only chance to speak with him properly. "What is High Hermitage like?"

He shrugged. "Like any castle, I imagine."

"Ah…" Not an answer she could start a conversation from. "But it must be lonely! Up in the mountains, I mean. There isn't a town or anything."

"It's fine with me." He said. "I don't care for being around other people much anyway." He turned his attention back to his grilled snake.

The silence was deafening as Arianne tried to think of something –anything –that she could say. "I wouldn't mind visiting!" She blurted out. It was the only thing she could think to say. "Someday. High Hermitage, I mean."

"Why would you want to…" He faltered, looking at her. His eyes widened slightly, as though he had only just realized something. Maybe he had finally noticed that she overflowing with love for him. That, or he had finally noticed her breasts. But either way, his attitude changed completely towards her after that. He smiled at her. Well, it was more like a smirk, but it was certainly more than she had seen him give anyone else! He answered all her questions about High Hermitage (it was pretty and full of cats) and about himself (he was also pretty, but not full of cats). While she was still extremely aware of the spattering of shoulder acne the cut of her dress made visible, she felt much more at ease. This was working exactly how she intended it to. She was certain she could get him to kiss her before he left Sunspear.

"You're leaving tomorrow?" She asked, sounding more distressed than she had intended. "But I heard you were staying for another fortnight at least?"

"That was the original plan, however, I fear I may have overstayed my welcome here. " He shrugged, as if he hadn't just delivered the most devastating news Arianne would ever hear in her life.

"That's ridiculous! Of course you're welcome here!" Arianne glared up at her father. Somehow, he had done this. He was pretending to be talking to her uncle, but she was sure he was listening. "You can stay as long as you like!"

"That is very kind of you, Princess." Ser Gerold's smile was almost proper that time. She felt her heart flutter. "But as you know, while your father my love my castle, he barely tolerates my family. I think it is best if I don't push my luck."

Arianne wanted to ask what he meant by that, but he had said it as if it was something she should have known, and she didn't wish to appear ignorant. No doubt it was some boring political reason.

They finished the rest of the meal with little talking, mostly because Arianne couldn't think of anything to say.

"I leave at sunrise tomorrow." He said, as the servants were clearing away the plates. "So I suspect this is good bye."

"So then, when shall I see you again?" She asked him, wondering if shedding some delicate tears would seem attractive or pathetic.

He gave her the same smirk he had earlier that meal. "Oh, I'll be around, don't worry about that, Princess." He paused as though considering something, looking into her eyes. "Until then… Shall I give you something to remember me by?"

"Something… Like what?" She asked.

He hesitated for a moment before seeming to come to a decision. "Something like this." He leaned over, cupped her chin gently in his hand, and gave her a soft kiss on the lips.

Arianne Martell was so thrilled with her victory that she didn't notice the dark looks her father and uncle exchanged.


End file.

A song of Ice and Fire, Romance