The tourney was near, at long last.

  The last days of the journey had been tiring. Alyx had departed Kingsgrave with a heavy heart, though her spirits were lifted by the company of her newfound companion from Redstone. Elissa sat atop the driver’s seat, guiding the carriage. She was a woman of valiance, and a contradiction; beauty mixed perfectly with grit. She was fatal whether to love or compete.

  Feeling eyes upon her, Elissa glanced back. Her dark eyes, rimmed sharp with kohl, locked with Alyx’s dark blue gaze. Alyx tilted her head sweetly, her smile widening. Elissa winked and offered a rogue’s grin in return.

  A weight settled on Alyx’s shoulder. Turning, she saw Verona leaning against her, long chestnut hair falling around her shoulder.

  “I’m weary…” Verona murmured.

  Alyx smiled, her fingers tracing through Verona’s hair gently. The descent from the Redstone Heights to the Greenbelt had been no easy feat, as it was not an easy feat ascending those heights in the first place. Alyx’s love for exploration was her driving force, yet even she had hesitated to leave northeastern Dorne. She had grown fond of the land, largely because Elissa had made the experience great.

  It was the news that had come of a great tourney at Ashford. Alyx was wary of these lands where women were held in lower regard than in Dorne. The Reach was known to be a place rich in green, pride, and tradition, where they looked down their noses at anything Dornish.

  By the Mother…

  Yet, her dream of wandering the Seven Kingdoms and uncovering its secrets bested her fears. If the tourney was the only excuse she could have to see the Reach, so be it, she thought.

  Leaving King’s Grave for Prince’s March, for Prince’s Pass, they descended to Wideway, which only turned narrow as they went north through. Their carriage reached the Princemarch valley, whereafter they took a turn east to Nightsong rather than west to Highgarden. They entered Stormlands that way, a more direct route to Ashford.

  They rested in the Sleepyhollow for a few days after that tiring march, a town south of Nightsong Castle. These were Highlands still, Stormlands part of the Dornish Marches. From there, east they went.

  Mayfair came next, a beautiful village by a forested stream. She loved it there. They reached Nail’s Town then, a settlement perched on a hill that overlooked the City of Estryck — a city of Reach. They discussed passing directly there, but the area was rough with vague routes and rocky hills.

  So they rode farther east instead. Passing the Laughing Hills, they entered Harvest Hall, the seat of House Selmy. It was a lovely-looking place from far beneath, beautiful atop its forested height. They did not visit, though, choosing instead a sparse hamlet called Threshbrook nearby. From there, they turned north. They rested in Creekberry, a town of such quiet beauty that Alyx thought it among the most serene she had ever seen.

  A few hours after leaving Creekberry, they crossed into the Reach.

  The first landmark was the ford called Mothersford, a small castle with the same name was functioning as a pass. Alyx had scarcely believed the name when she first heard it. She felt watched by the Mother there.

  (Route to Ashford)

  They crossed another creek, rested near Holyhall, then turned west to Larrick. Now they were traveling still farther west, only hours from Deepwell, within the lordship of—

  “Cockscombe! Pfhahahahah!” Elissa laughed loudly.

  Alyx remembered the sign and found herself smiling as well.

  “Yeah…” Verona murmured, straightening up with a raised brow. “Is it called that because there are too many cocks?”

  “What even is a combe?” Elissa snorted. “Is it like a cock nest?”

  "It is a type of valley," Daleria explained, her voice calmer than theirs. "Often narrow and circular like a hollow surrounded by hills.”

  “So it is a cock nest.”

  “Whatever you say…” Daleria shook her head.

  “It does sound like a nest.” Alyx giggled.

  Daleria did not join in. "Alyx…”

  “What?” Alyx whined playfully.

  Daleria sighed, rolling her eyes. "Children, the lot of you.”

  The woman was only eight-and-twenty, yet she carried herself like a sage. Though, Alyx thought, it fits her.

  "Must you always be a sourleaf?" Verona complained.

  “I prefer… more adult conversation.” Daleria’s gaze lingered on Alyx as she spoke, her subtle grin sending heat straight through her.

  So much so, she failed to hold her gaze.

  Alyx lowered her face, cheeks flushing hot. She did not consider herself too shy, but it was always different with Daleria.

  Verona was her childhood friend, sweet and dear. Elissa was sharp and fierce, with the charisma of an eagle and a striking charm.

  But Daleria… Daleria unmade her, then remade her within the Mother’s blissful touch. She melted as if suffocating in lava, yet her throat drank waters so serene she was made sure she’d never feel thirst again.

  Well, that was an experience.

  But even without… all those experiences, she was a woman just so otherworldly. She finally dared to gaze Daleria, taking in the sight of her. She was the fairest of the group. Her honey-blonde hair fell straight as cream, cascading down long. She possessed a slender form, touched by smooth curves and a tender softness. Alyx was sure her face was touched by the gods, atop her buttoned nose were beautiful light blue eyes bright like vast oceans. Even voice was a melody, soft and airy, completely free of the rough accents of the common tongue despite her Essosi blood.

  Alyx knew herself beautiful, naturally pink-haired and sharp-eyed with long lashes and dark blue irises, prettier than most girls and distinct as … but Daleria was something else entirely.

  Verona’s head thumped back onto Alyx’s shoulder, harder this time, heavy with frustration.

  "A-anyway," Alyx coughed, relaxing her tightened throat. "We must be close.”

  "It will be difficult to find an inn at Deepwell," Daleria said. "The tourney will have filled every bed. Better we ride on and reach Ashford by nightfall.”

  “We could camp…” Verona mumbled.

  Alyx smiled, scratching Verona's scalp softly. "We have been lucky since Redstone, since we never had to, but surely we can manage?" She looked to Daleria for confirmation.

  “Perhaps. But our company is only us. With thieves, drunk men, and more, there will be quite a lot of worries to come.” Daleria sighed. “Especially considering we are Dornish.”

  “I’m already about to lose my shit with all this fucking staring,” Elissa snapped, holding the leashes with tightened grip.

  “Even if we were to find a stay, would it be better? Mother’s name…”

  Alyx slumped, her mood darkening. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea. She started to stare intensely and sadly at her heeled boots. Why did she even wear heels for travel? She was out of her mind in many ways.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  “Hey.” Daleria smiled gently. “Your fate shall tide with the sun, my girl. Remember.”

  Alyx’s sad gaze lifted to her. Though worry still gnawed at her, a small smile broke through. Hope would find her often when Daleria was near.

  Then suddenly, a hurtle and a clatter shook the carriage.

  “Fuck!” Elissa cursed as a stone hurled inside, hitting the ceiling.

  "Get that wagon off the road!" a man shouted.

  “Who the fuck DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!!” Elissa roared, guttural. It was so loud that even Alyx got scared for a moment.

  “I’m a man of the Seven!” The armored man snarled, not flinching. “You whores defile this land! Away with you!”

  "Whores!?" Elissa balked, her teeth grinding audibly.

  “I-I’m a man of the Seven!” The armored, dirty-faced man retorted, his gloved hand grasping his armor tightly. “You whores desecrate everything everywhere. Away!”

  “Whores!?” Elissa was taken aback. She started gritting her teeth.

  Verona grabbed Elissa’s shoulder as she was a second away from jumping. "Elissa, wait," she warned, then leaned forward herself. "Who are you to call us whores, you pig? We are from Dorne!”

  Verona reached to get a grip of her shoulder. “Elissa.” She warned, leaning forward. “Who are you to call us whores, you pig?! We are from Dorne!”

  "Dornish trash!” He spat.

  And here Alyx was thinking it might not be too bad after all. An animal has to ruin everything.

  “Fuck off! We are not whores!” Elissa shouted back.

  "Are you trying to hide your trade? What business does a wain filled only with women have at a tourney?" The man laughed, a harsh, grating sound. "Do not play the lady with me. And don’t fucking dare to ridicule me! You are vile Dornish sluts, painted like sluts, dressed like sluts. Or what, do you pretend to be a bunch of tourney-enthusiastic desert dwellers with those looks? Or did you lose your pimp on the road? Fucking sad, I call it.”

  He spurred his horse closer. Elissa’s hand dropped to the spear stashed beneath the seat.

  "It will be even sadder if you don’t turn back now!" the man threatened, hand on his hilt.

  Alyx sighed. She moved to the front, raising a soothing palm. "Peace, Ser. You are right. We must apologize." She shot Verona and Elissa a sharp look.

  "Finally!" The man swung his sword in a lazy arc. "Away then. Back the way you came!”

  "I can see you are a man of faith. It is most unfortunate that our presence upset you. Understandable, truly.”

  “Finally!” He swung his sword. “Away then, back!”

  The man nodded, puffing out his chest. “Good that you understand.” He pointed his sword. “Turn the carriage.”

  "I understand, Ser. With a face like that, even the cheapest whores in Flea Bottom wouldn’t spread for you. So sad…" She shook her head with exaggerated pity.

  The girls bursted into laughter. Even Daleria softly chuckled behind with a delicate hand over her mouth.

  "THE FUCK?! I am a changed man, you w—”

  “Even—even fucking dogs probably run seeing his abhorrent pig-face from miles away!” Verona joined, causing more laughter.

  Elissa clutched her stomach, practically falling from the driver’s seat, her long ponytail sweeping the dust. "I bet that stings, doesn't it? HAH!”

  Elissa’s hands clamped on her stomach, she fell to the side, almost entirely falling from the carriage, her long dark ponytail sweeping the ground. She was laughing loudly. “I bet that stings different to HIM! PFAHAHAHAHAHAH!”

  The man turned a shade of red deeper than boiling iron. He gritted his teeth, fury overcoming sense.

  "YOU FILTHY WHORES!" He spurred his horse into a gallop, raising his sword to strike the carriage horse.

  Elissa moved. She reached for her spear, spinning it to aim the wooden end. She ran through the back of a horse and launched herself through the air. A brutal strike slammed squarely into his breastplate.

  The knight did not fall; he flew. He hit the ground with a sickening crunch and a scream of agony.

  "AAAAGGGH! MY ARM!" He writhed in the dirt.

  The jump and strike were impossible for a normal human being, not for Elissa.

  "You know what?" Verona said, turning to Alyx. "I’ve stopped questioning it.”

  Elissa merely looked back at the girls and shrugged with a grin.

  Daleria peered over the edge of the carriage. She sighed. "This calls for trouble.”

  As if summoned by her words, more horse galloping was heard; many. They were soon circled by armored riders, gold scattered through their metal wear. They appeared like knights.

  "Would you look at that," a blond man on the left drawled. "Such… delicacies.”

  "How much?" asked another from the other side.

  It was getting on Alyx’s nerves at this point. Was beauty a sin? Was simply walking as a woman reason enough to be seen as nothing but… that?

  "Ser, we are not for sale.” Alyx frowned.

  "…Really?" The blond man straightened, feigning a bamboozled expression before grinning. "A pity, then. Eh?”

  Elissa stepped forward, and many swords were drawn in an instant. "You stay there!" a gray-haired knight barked. They were wary of her.

  "Move just one step, and this ends badly," The blond man spoke again, his wolfish eyes showing signs of fear.

  Alyx reached down from the front seat and put her palm on Elissa’s shoulder, shaking her head.

  "Do not mistake us, ladies. We are merely here for justice." A thin-faced knight with dark eyes spoke, nodding toward the man still weeping in the dirt. “Do you see what you did to that man? An honorable knight of the people, and you broke his arm.”

  “He attacked us!” Elissa barked, causing Alyx’s grip to tighten with worry.

  “Pray tell, Ser, why then I see that none of you are helping him?” Alyx held his gaze.

  "We are not healers, wench.” Gray-haired man retorted.

  The blond man was just grinning. "You attacked a knight. A crime needs to be judged.”

  "He was going to kill a horse!” Verona shouted, scowling.

  "We saw no such thing." Another man spoke, his voice raspy and depressed. His beard was sparse, his eyes dark and ugly.

  Alyx sighed. She was about to lose her temper when a commotion near the carriage drew their eyes.

  She turned to see Daleria was just sitting before Verona, having arrived in the front seat herself with them. Before her was a squire.

  “Please, my lady!” The orange-haired lad knelt on one leg, fist pressing too hard onto his chest. “It’s love! Love at first sight! I am in love with you—”

  "Get it together, you fool!" A bulky brute slapped the boy upside the head.

  “I’m no lady…” Daleria murmured, the subtlest smile touching her lips.

  "No!" The boy jumped up, eyes shining. "Because you are a goddess!”

  The brute’s patience snapped. With a growl, he drove a gauntleted fist into the boy’s gut, doubling him over, before bringing his other hand down on the back of the squire’s neck. The squire hit the dirt with a loud thud and a pained shout.

  "You witless, soft-headed fool!" The brute kicked him in the ribs. "The Seven will never forgive such blasphemy! Do you HEAR ME?!”

  "Hey!" Daleria scoffed, her voice losing its usual quality. "Stop! That is enough!”

  The thin, dark-haired knight spurred his mount, cutting past Alyx to loom over Daleria. "You know, if you favor the boy so much, perhaps you should come with us. We can teach you both a lesson in obedience.”

  "FUCK YOU! ALL OF YOU!" the man with the broken arm suddenly reappeared with a loud roar, stumbling forward from the rear of the scene, cradling his shattered limb.

  The girls exchanged weary glances, annoyed.

  "Peace, Ser, peace." The blond knight trotted his horse between the carriage and his injured companion. "We have the matter in hand.”

  "I’ll kill that bitch! I’ll fucking rip her guts out!”

  "I’d like to see you try!" Elissa shouted back, her hand tightening on the spear.

  The injured knight groaned, his eyes darting around the ground in a panic, searching for the sword that had gone flying. But Elissa’s strike probably sent it spinning fast and high, lost to the wherever grass around the roadside.

  The blond man leaned down, gripping the injured man’s pauldron firmly. "Calm yourself, eh? Give us a moment.”

  Without waiting for an answer, he turned his mount back toward the carriage, his wolfish smile returning, though it did not reach his eyes. "Let us speak plainly, ladies. You need shelter. Trust in the honor of knighthood, eh?" He steered his horse closer to Daleria, his gaze crawling over her. Then he turned that predatory look on Alyx.

  Alyx felt a cold shiver run down her spine. She wrapped her arms around herself.

  "We need to discuss your… unruly behavior," the blond knight grinned. "If you attempt to flee, we shall bring this matter to the Lords of the Reach. You do not want the law involved, do you? Dornish women as you should know better. There are grievances in this land.”

  Before Daleria could respond, the squire scrambled to his feet, dirt smeared across his tear-stained face.

  "Leave the lady alone!" He threw himself in front of the carriage, drawing his sword with a trembling hand, raising it toward him. "I will protect you, my lady! From all of them! I care not for your threats!" He swung the blade wildly, pointing it at each knight in turn.

  "Put that steel away, boy," the bulky brute growled. He began to approach toward the squire, his hand resting on the pommel of his own sword. He looked ready to maim.

  The boy shook like a leaf in a storm, retreating a step, but he kept his point raised. "I—I will protect her!”

  Daleria let out a long, suffering sigh. "Enough," she whispered, her voice heavy with exhaustion.

  She reached into a pouch at her belt, withdrawing a palm of azure powder. With a graceful blow of her mouth, she scattered it up into the air.

  For a moment, there was only the wind.

  Then, the sound of metal hitting earth.

  They dropped one by one, riders hitting the ground harder than those on foot.

  After it was over, silence hung heavy over the road.

  Verona and Elissa scanned the carnage, perplexed. Only Alyx’s expressed calm, her shoulders finally relaxing.

  "This will make them sleep for a time. Let us go," Daleria called to the girls.

  "Um… maybe we should turn back?" Verona stammered, looking at the bodies. "People will be talking about this.”

  "They will not remember a thing," Daleria replied, her face impassive.

  Verona’s eyes widened, impressed by her a lot.

  Elisa’s brows knitted in shock. “Why… aren’t we affected?” She managed a confused murmur.

  “It does not affect women,” said Alyx.

  So there was silence again. Shocked, questioning looks were cast both her and Daleria’s way.

  Yes, Alyx knew.

  They would not remember. But Alyx knew that she would.

  As the carriage creaked back into motion, leaving the sleeping knights in the dust, a single question burned in her mind: Was this truly the right path?

  Doubt, blame, and remorse churned in her gut. She wasn't just lying to herself; she was keeping secrets from her friends, and perhaps, challenging the laws of the entire continent.

  She sighed, her thoughts a storm. The moment next, she felt Daleria’s gaze pressing against the back of her neck.

  "Is this truly how a song begins?" she whispered inaudibly and the words were lost to the wind, heard only in a realm where they meant nothing, and everything.