Asheria Dayne They walked in silence. She walked past several of her ancestors. Some she knew when they were still alive but the most only from stories. Once they arrived at Lord Edren Dayne's grave the silence between them seemed to grow even quite. She wasn't sure if Arstan spoke to her or her father. She eyes his actions curiously and was surprised for the second time this evening when she saw tears in his eyes though he did not let them fall. It was uncommon for men to cry. One of the only exceptions being when they grieved their father. She supposed he still though of her Lord father as one.
She kept looking at him for a moment longer before she sighed deeply. The woman bowed her head and closed her eyes when she quietly spoke a prayer to the seven. When she was done she was close to tears as well. I will not weep. She told herself. "Why didn't you?" She asked the knight. "Why didn't you come here sooner?" She clarified the question with a hushed voice. Before she thought he had forgotten about him, now she could tell that he clearly did not. "Six moons have passed since you left King's Landing. You could have made it here in less than one."
Ser Arstan Estermont The Lady Asheria spoke the words but it was as if they came straight from Lord Edren himself. Ser Arstan had a hard time forming a response. He thought back to King’s Landing and the woman he had shamed himself for. He thought back on her blonde hair and her fair skin and her sweet smile; he remembered at the time of their affair thinking she smiled for him and only him. It was the first time he had ever been in love, at least that’s what he thought it was at the time. Although he took no pleasure from being dismissed from the King’s side, there was a silver lining in the situation. He might have been able to take the woman for his wife. It would not have been easy, but Ser Arstan once heard that love conquered all things.
Arstan later found this to be a falsity, and it was a lesson learned hard. The Lady did not wait for him. She married another man and left Arstan completely and utterly heartbroken. He was left a soiled Knight. He saw after the fact the fool he had been. He realized he had been weak in letting himself be tempted by the desires of the flesh. He took his newfound freedom and decided to exploit it as he felt he had been exploited. He traveled aimlessly along the King’s Road, stopping here and there at various Inns along the wayside. He drowned himself in wine and women and blamed everyone for his misfortunes but the one person who was actually responsible.
It took Arstan a while to realize he had brought it all upon himself.
“The state I found myself in was not one fitting to be viewed by the eyes of this House or the new Lady running it,” he responded after some time had passed. He spoke the words to Lady Dayne, but he stared into the cold marble eyes of Lord Edren. In life, Edren had been an honorable man, one of the most honorable of men Arstan had ever met. He might have understood the circumstances leading up to Arstan’s dismissal, but he would not have stood for watching his foster son’s downward spiral in the aftermath. “I needed to clean myself up, my Lady. I needed to remind myself of the man I used to be. The man your father raised me to be. I have not been that man for quite some time,” he admittedly quietly. “I am trying to be that man once more.”
They walked in silence. She walked past several of her ancestors. Some she knew when they were still alive but the most only from stories. Once they arrived at Lord Edren Dayne's grave the silence between them seemed to grow even quite. She wasn't sure if Arstan spoke to her or her father. She eyes his actions curiously and was surprised for the second time this evening when she saw tears in his eyes though he did not let them fall. It was uncommon for men to cry. One of the only exceptions being when they grieved their father. She supposed he still though of her Lord father as one.
She kept looking at him for a moment longer before she sighed deeply. The woman bowed her head and closed her eyes when she quietly spoke a prayer to the seven. When she was done she was close to tears as well. I will not weep. She told herself. "Why didn't you?" She asked the knight. "Why didn't you come here sooner?" She clarified the question with a hushed voice. Before she thought he had forgotten about him, now she could tell that he clearly did not. "Six moons have passed since you left King's Landing. You could have made it here in less than one."
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The Lady Asheria spoke the words but it was as if they came straight from Lord Edren himself. Ser Arstan had a hard time forming a response. He thought back to King’s Landing and the woman he had shamed himself for. He thought back on her blonde hair and her fair skin and her sweet smile; he remembered at the time of their affair thinking she smiled for him and only him. It was the first time he had ever been in love, at least that’s what he thought it was at the time. Although he took no pleasure from being dismissed from the King’s side, there was a silver lining in the situation. He might have been able to take the woman for his wife. It would not have been easy, but Ser Arstan once heard that love conquered all things.
Arstan later found this to be a falsity, and it was a lesson learned hard. The Lady did not wait for him. She married another man and left Arstan completely and utterly heartbroken. He was left a soiled Knight. He saw after the fact the fool he had been. He realized he had been weak in letting himself be tempted by the desires of the flesh. He took his newfound freedom and decided to exploit it as he felt he had been exploited. He traveled aimlessly along the King’s Road, stopping here and there at various Inns along the wayside. He drowned himself in wine and women and blamed everyone for his misfortunes but the one person who was actually responsible.
It took Arstan a while to realize he had brought it all upon himself.
“The state I found myself in was not one fitting to be viewed by the eyes of this House or the new Lady running it,” he responded after some time had passed. He spoke the words to Lady Dayne, but he stared into the cold marble eyes of Lord Edren. In life, Edren had been an honorable man, one of the most honorable of men Arstan had ever met. He might have understood the circumstances leading up to Arstan’s dismissal, but he would not have stood for watching his foster son’s downward spiral in the aftermath. “I needed to clean myself up, my Lady. I needed to remind myself of the man I used to be. The man your father raised me to be. I have not been that man for quite some time,” he admittedly quietly. “I am trying to be that man once more.”
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