Chapter 10: The Shining Tournament Grounds

Lady Barbrey Dustin, who had been smiling broadly, immediately lost her smile the moment the name "Sword of the Morning," Arthur Dayne, was mentioned. Her expression turned as cold as summer snow.

"Why did you have to bring up the Sword of the Morning? Lord Eddard, must you pour salt on my wounds?"

Barbrey's voice rose slightly, catching the attention of the Greatjon Umber, Lord Rodrik Ryswell, Lord Medger Cerwyn, Lord Wyman Manderly, and others who had been chatting at the other end of the hall. They quickly gathered around.

Eddard sighed. "Lady Barbrey, I was merely using the Sword of the Morning as an example."

In truth, Eddard had also mentioned Jaime Lannister, "Barristan the Bold," and Prince Aemon the Dragonknight—all legendary tourney champions. But for some reason, Barbrey had fixated on Arthur Dayne.

During the legendary "Tower of Joy" battle, the famed Sword of the Morning, Arthur Dayne, had fallen. This battle, immortalized in countless songs, had also claimed the life of Barbrey's husband, Lord Willam Dustin of Barrowton.

Eddard hadn't expected that, after all these years, the name of the Sword of the Morning could still reopen Barbrey's old wounds.

"Arthur Dayne killed my husband," Barbrey accused.

Eddard was one of the two survivors of the Tower of Joy battle, and he knew how the fight had unfolded. Arthur Dayne had single-handedly slain three of Eddard's companions, but Willam Dustin had been killed by Oswell Whent, not Dayne. Yet Barbrey seemed convinced that Arthur Dayne was responsible for her husband's death—perhaps because of the Sword of the Morning's legendary reputation.

Back then, Prince Rhaegar had hidden Eddard's sister Lyanna in the Tower of Joy in Dorne, guarded by three legendary Kingsguard: Gerold Hightower, the White Bull; Arthur Dayne, the Sword of the Morning; and Oswell Whent. Eddard, determined to rescue his sister, had led a group of loyal men—including Lord Willam Dustin, Ethan Glover of Deepwood Motte, Mark Ryswell of the Rills, Theo Wull of the mountain clans, Martyn Cassel, and Howland Reed of the crannogmen—into battle against the Kingsguard. Only Eddard and Howland Reed survived.

The Greatjon Umber, Lord Medger Cerwyn, Ser Harrion Karstark, and Lord Wyman Manderly watched the exchange with concern. Lord Rodrik Ryswell, Barbrey's father, looked troubled.

Barbrey, overwhelmed by memories of her brief, blissful marriage to Willam Dustin, was consumed by grief. "Lord Eddard, my husband died rescuing your sister, yet you left his bones—and those of the other brave men—to rest in the foreign soil of Dorne. Was that truly the right thing to do?"

Eddard explained patiently, "Lady Barbrey, after the battle, Howland Reed and I tried to find the Silent Sisters to bring your husband and the other warriors home. But the war had left corpses everywhere, and the Silent Sisters were overwhelmed. I had no choice but to bury my men with stones."

Eddard had brought back Willam Dustin's red stallion but not his body.

Barbrey sneered. "Lord Eddard was powerless to bring back my husband's bones, yet he managed to bring back Lyanna's."

Eddard placed a hand over his heart. "Willam Dustin and the other brave men who died for Winterfell will always live in my heart."

Barbrey's eyes glistened with sorrow. "Lord Eddard, I appreciate your words. But I cannot understand why you left the bones of your loyal men in the foreign soil of Dorne, under the care of strange gods. My husband was born in Barrowton, raised under the watchful eyes of the First King. For the people of Barrowton, a proper burial is of utmost importance."

"After the battle, I sent men to Dorne to find my husband's grave, but they found nothing. Your brave men vanished in a foreign land, under the gaze of foreign gods. Lord Eddard, if your brother Brandon had led that mission, he would never have abandoned his fallen comrades."

"Enough!" Lord Rodrik Ryswell stepped forward, grabbing his daughter's wrist. "Have you lost your mind? How dare you bring up old grievances to disturb Lord Eddard?"

Barbrey forced a smile. "I merely wanted to invite Lord Eddard to watch Domeric's performance in the training yard. He mentioned the Sword of the Morning, and I simply responded. That's all."

She turned to Eddard, her expression sincere. "Lord Eddard, you must see Domeric's horsemanship and swordsmanship. He rides like your brother Brandon. Domeric has always been my pride."

As Barbrey walked away, Lord Rodrik Ryswell apologized to Eddard. "Lord Eddard, please forgive her. Since her husband's death, Barbrey has been consumed by grief. She lives in the halls beneath the tomb of the First King. Some say the First King slowly drains the life from the living, turning them into corpses. Looking at Barbrey, I'm starting to believe it."

The Greatjon Umber chuckled. "A woman who's been a widow too long becomes like that. Barbrey needs a man to love her fiercely. Love would revive her. At her age, if she doesn't bear children soon, she'll miss her chance."

Barrowton was the third-largest settlement in the North, after White Harbor and Winter Town. As the widow of Barrowton, Barbrey's dowry was substantial, and marrying her would mean ruling Barrowton alongside her. After her husband's death, countless suitors had flocked to her, including the Greatjon's uncles, "Whoresbane" Umber and "Crowfood" Umber, Walder Frey of the Twins, Galbart Glover of Deepwood Motte, Wyman Manderly of White Harbor, and even nobles from the Reach and the Stormlands.

However, all of them were coldly rejected, and over time, the suitors stopped coming.

Barbrey was around the same age as Catelyn. While Catelyn had just welcomed her fifth child, Barbrey had none. Eddard suddenly realized that Barbrey saw Domeric as her own son. She wanted to prove that her "child" was no less than the children of Winterfell, which was why she had been so insistent on Eddard watching the sparring.

When Eddard, the Greatjon Umber, Lord Wyman Manderly, Ser Harrion Karstark, and Lord Medger Cerwyn arrived at the training yard, Barbrey's face lit up with a smile. Roose Bolton, however, looked grim. He whispered something to Barbrey, and she burst into laughter.

Robb and Domeric Bolton had already donned their practice armor and were standing in the center of the yard, holding blunted swords.

Though this wasn't a formal tournament, the duel between the heir to Winterfell and the heir to the Dreadfort drew a crowd of nobles, squires, and servants. Sansa, Arya, Jeyne Poole, and others squeezed into the crowd.

Domeric was several years older than Robb. While Robb had often defeated older opponents, he stood no chance against Domeric. Soon, his sword was knocked from his hand.

"Just children playing," the Greatjon commented dismissively.

Next, Jon Snow, Eddard's bastard, fared slightly better than Robb but was still easily defeated by Domeric.

Theon, Eddard's ward and close in age to Domeric, stepped forward with a confident smile. The servants, soldiers, and guards of Winterfell hoped he would win. But Theon was quickly disarmed by Domeric, who exploited a flaw in his technique.

Watching his three students defeated by the heir to the Dreadfort, Ser Rodrik Cassel tugged at his white beard in frustration, grumbling to Robb, Theon, and Jon.

"You can lose in front of the Northern lords, but not like this."

Barbrey called out to Ser Rodrik, "Old man, are these your best students?"

This clearly angered the master-at-arms. He gestured to Harwin, "Harwin, you go!"

Harwin, the son of Hullen, the master of horse, was a skilled fighter. But even he didn't last much longer than Robb against Domeric.

It became clear that Domeric had been holding back against Jon and Robb.

The morning's swordplay ended in a crushing defeat for Winterfell. In the afternoon, the focus shifted to jousting. Over lunch, Ser Rodrik complained about the poor performance of Theon, Robb, and Jon, especially Harwin, who had embarrassed him.

"I might have to send Jory Cassel for the afternoon joust. I need at least one win," the old knight muttered.

Jory Cassel, the captain of Winterfell's guards, was an excellent rider who had fought in the Greyjoy Rebellion. Smalljon Umber, Ser Harrion Karstark, and a group of knights from White Harbor also clamored to challenge Domeric.

Barbrey brought out a red stallion for Domeric, who donned his armor. His armor was the crimson of the Dreadfort, his helmet shaped like the horse head of House Ryswell, and his shield bore the rusted crown of House Dustin.

Ser Rodrik was eager for revenge, but the joust became a showcase for Domeric's skill. He unhorsed Winterfell guards like Alyn and Heward with ease. Smalljon Umber, Ser Harrion Karstark, and Robett Glover also fell to Domeric.

Each time Domeric won, Barbrey let out a wolfish laugh, and Sansa and the other girls cheered. Roose Bolton's expression grew darker.

Hullen, the master of horse, said, "The boy rides like he's part of the horse. The last time I saw someone ride like that was Lady Lyanna."

Finally, Jory Cassel stepped forward and defeated Domeric, though by then, Domeric was clearly exhausted from multiple rounds. Many said Jory's victory was unfair.

Barbrey brought Domeric before Eddard and the gathered nobles, her voice dripping with pride. "Lord Eddard, isn't Domeric better than your children? Whether it's your heir, your bastard, or your ward, none of the Northern lords could defeat him."

Eddard smiled. "Indeed, Domeric is exceptional—skilled in music, knowledgeable in history, and a formidable warrior. Lady Barbrey, you've raised an outstanding young man for the North. I've decided to take Domeric as my ward."

Barbrey was stunned. "What?"

Roose Bolton muttered a curse under his breath and walked away.

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