Lady Barbrey Dustin had been all smiles, but the moment she heard the name "Dawn Sword" Arthur Dayne, the smile vanished from her face like snow in summer.
"Why would you bring up the 'Dawn Sword'? What is it, Lord Eddard? Must you rub salt in my wounds?"
Barbrey's voice rose, and immediately, Greatjon Umber, Lord Roderick Ryswell, Lord Cerwyn, Wyman Manderly, and others who had been chatting at the other end of the hall, gathered around.
Eddard sighed, "Lady Barbrey, I was merely using 'Dawn Sword' as an example."
In fact, Eddard had mentioned "Kingslayer" Jaime, "The Bold" Barristan Selmy, and "Dragonknight" Prince Aemon. They were all champions of the tourney. Who knew Lady Barbrey would fixate on the name "Dawn Sword" Arthur Dayne.
In the legendary Tower of Joy, the legendary "Dawn Sword" Arthur Dayne had fallen. In that classic battle, sung of by countless bards, Barbrey's husband, the former Lord of Barrowton, William Dustin, had also died.
Eddard hadn't expected that after so many years, the name "Dawn Sword" could still reopen Barbrey's old wounds.
"Arthur Dayne killed my husband," Lady Barbrey accused.
Eddard was one of the only two survivors of the Tower of Joy. He knew what had happened in the battle. Arthur Dayne had single-handedly slain three of Eddard's companions, but not William Dustin. Eddard remembered that William Dustin had been killed by Oswell Whent during the battle.
Lady Barbrey seemed to believe Arthur Dayne had killed her husband, was it merely because of the reputation of the Dawn Sword?
In those days, Prince Rhaegar had placed Eddard's sister Lyanna in the Tower of Joy in Dorne and arranged for the legendary Kingsguard, Gerold Hightower, the White Bull, Arthur Dayne of the Dawn Sword, and Oswell Whent to guard her.
In order to rescue his sister, Eddard, along with Lord William Dustin, Ethan Glover of Deepwood Motte, Mark Ryswell of the Riverlands, Theon Wull of the Mountain Clans, Martyn Cassel, and Howland Reed of the Crannogmen, fought against the three Kingsguard. Except for Eddard and Howland Reed, all the others died.
Greatjon Umber, Lord Cerwyn, Herman Tallhart, and Wyman Manderly were watching from the side, and Lord Ryswell, Lady Barbrey's father, looked gloomy.
The widow Lady Barbrey of Barrowton recalled the brief honeymoon of her marriage to her husband, William Dustin, and was immediately overwhelmed by grief. "My lord Eddard, my husband died to save your sister, but you let his bones and the bones of the other brave men lie in the soil of Dorne. Is that really fitting?"
Eddard explained patiently, "In those days, Howland Reed and I tried to find the Silent Sisters to bring your husband's bones and the bones of the other brave men home, but, in those turbulent times, corpses were everywhere, and the Silent Sisters couldn't find them at all. I was helpless and could only bury my warriors with stones."
Years ago, Eddard brought Lady Barbrey Dustin her husband's red stallion, but not his body.
Lady Barbrey scoffed. "Eddard was powerless, but he did bring back Lyanna's bones."
Eddard placed a hand over his heart. "William Dustin, like the other brave men who died for Winterfell, will live forever in my heart."
Barbrey's eyes flickered with sadness. "My lord Eddard, I appreciate your words. However, I cannot understand why you left the remains of the heroes in a foreign land, in Dorne. My husband was born in Barrowton, raised under the gaze of the First King. The people of Barrowton value burial above all else."
"I immediately sent men south to Dorne to find my husband's grave, but to no avail. Your hero disappeared in a strange land, under the care of unfamiliar gods. My lord Eddard, if it had been your brother Brandon leading the charge, he would never have abandoned his fallen comrades like you did."
"Enough!" Lord Ryswell rushed forward, grabbing his daughter Barbrey's wrist. "Are you mad? You dare to bring up old grievances to trouble Lord Eddard?"
Barbrey forced a smile. "I only wanted to invite Lord Eddard to see Domminic perform in the lists. Lord Eddard mentioned the 'Dawn Sword', so I just chatted a bit more. That's all there is to it."
Lady Barbrey looked at Eddard, her face earnest. "My lord Eddard, please, you must see Domminic's riding and swordsmanship. He rides like your brother Brandon. Domminic has always been my pride."
Everyone watched Lady Barbrey leave, and Lord Ryswell looked apologetic.
"My Lord Eddard, please forgive her. Lady Barbrey has been consumed by grief since her husband died. She lives in the hall beneath the First King's tomb. Some say the First King slowly drains the life from people, turning the living into corpses. Looking at Lady Barbrey, I almost believe the curse myself."
Greatjon Umber boomed, "Women always end up like that after years of being widows. Lady Barbrey needs a man, needs to be thoroughly pleasured in bed. Love can nourish her. At her age, if she doesn't have children soon, she won't get the chance."
Barrowton is the third-largest population center in the North, after White Harbor and Winter Town. As the widow of Barrowton, Lady Barbrey's dowry was considerable. Whoever married her would rule Barrowton with her, so countless suitors flocked to her after her husband died.
These included Greatjon Umber's two uncles, "The Brothel" Umber and "Crowfood" Umber, Walder Frey of the Twins, Galbert Glover, the Lord of Deepwood Motte, Wyman Manderly of White Harbor, and many nobles from the Reach and the Stormlands.
However, all of them were snubbed in Barrowton, and in time, no one bothered to ask for Lady Barbrey's hand anymore.
Lady Barbrey was about the same age as Catelyn. Now, Catelyn was about to have her fifth child, fertile and productive, while Lady Barbrey had no children. Eddard suddenly realized that Lady Barbrey regarded Domminic as her own son. She wanted to prove that her child was no worse than the children of Winterfell, which was why she was so eager to invite him to the tournament.
When Eddard, Greatjon Umber, Wyman Manderly, Herman Tallhart, Lord Cerwyn, and the others appeared at the edge of the training ground, Lady Barbrey immediately beamed. Roose Bolton looked serious. He whispered a few words to Lady Barbrey, and she burst into laughter.
Robb and Domminic Bolton had already put on their leather armor for the tournament, holding blunt swords, standing in the center of the training ground.
This wasn't a formal tournament, but the duel between the heirs of Winterfell and the Dreadfort drew a large crowd of nobles, squires, and servants. The training grounds were packed. Sansa, Arya, Jeyne Poole, and others were squeezed into the throng.
Domminic Bolton was several years older than Robb. Although Robb often defeated older opponents, he stood no chance against Domminic, and his longsword was soon knocked away.
"Just a couple of kids fighting," Greatjon Umber commented casually.
Next up, Jon Snow, Eddard's bastard, fared slightly better than Robb, but was still easily defeated by Domminic Bolton.
Theon, Eddard's ward, was about the same age as Domminic Bolton. The trainers, servants, and soldiers of Winterfell all hoped Theon would win. Before the match, Theon wore a confident smile.
But to everyone's surprise, Domminic quickly found an opening, striking Theon's wrist and disarming him.
Watching his three pupils lose to the heir of the Dreadfort, Rodrik Cassel, the master-at-arms of Winterfell, helplessly tugged at his snow-white beard, complaining to Robb, Theon, and Jon.
"You can lose in front of the nobles of the North, but you can't lose so miserably."
Lady Barbrey Dustin shouted at Lord Roderick, "Old man, is this the best your pupils can do?"
This clearly angered the Winterfell master-at-arms, who waved at Halwin. "Halwin, you're up!"
Halwin, son of Hullen, the Winterfell stablemaster, was a member of the Winterfell guard and considered a decent fighter. However, against Domminic, Halwin lasted only slightly longer than Robb.
People then realized that Domminic had been going easy on both Jon Snow and Robb, the two young boys.
The morning's swordplay competition ended in a crushing defeat for Winterfell. The afternoon would feature a jousting competition. During lunch, Lord Rodrik Cassel kept complaining to Theon, saying Robb and Jon's performance was terrible, especially Halwin's, who'd brought shame upon him.
"I might consider letting Jory Cassel compete in the jousting this afternoon; I have to win at least once," the old master-at-arms pondered.
Jory Cassel, the captain of the Winterfell guard, had participated in quelling the Greyjoy Rebellion and was a skilled rider. Greatjon Umber, Lord Herman Tallhart, and a group of knights from White Harbor were also clamoring to challenge Domminic.
Lady Barbrey brought forward a red stallion. Domminic changed into his armor, which was the crimson of the Dreadfort. His helmet was styled in the shape of the Ryswell family's horse head, and his shield bore the rusted crown of his aunt, Dustin.
The Winterfell master-at-arms craved revenge, but the jousting competition became a one-man show for Domminic. Like a centaur, Domminic unseated Elin and Hayward, Winterfell guardsmen, one after another. Greatjon Umber, Ser Herman Tallhart, and Robert Glover also fell before Domminic.
Each time Domminic won, Lady Barbrey's wolfish laughter rang out, and Sansa and the other handmaidens cheered. Roose Bolton's expression grew increasingly grim, his brow furrowed.
Hullen, the stable master, said, "That boy is a superb rider, one with his horse, just like a centaur. The last time I saw riding like that was with Lady Lyanna."
In the end, Jory Cassel himself entered the lists and defeated Domminic, but by then, Domminic's stamina was clearly diminished after many rounds of jousting, and many said Jory's victory was unsportsmanlike.
Lady Barbrey brought Domminic before Eddard, and said with pride before the assembled nobles, "Lord Eddard, isn't Domminic better than your children? Neither your heir, your bastard, nor your adopted sons, none of the nobles of the North can match him."
Eddard smiled, "Yes, Domminic is excellent. He is skilled in music, proficient in history, and his martial skills are also so good. Lady Barbrey, you have worked so hard to nurture such an outstanding young man for the North. I've decided to take Domminic as my adopted son."
Lady Barbrey was stunned, "What?"
Roose Bolton muttered a curse and walked away.
....
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