Chapter 24: Blue Winter Roses

[Barristan Selmy’s Journal]

 

If you had asked me what the biggest mistake of my life is, is that I lost the joust at the tourney at harrenhal that year. If only I won that joust with the prince, so much bloodshed could’ve been prevented, so much hatred could’ve been avoided, so much life could’ve been saved. Yet I lost. Prince Rhaegar gave the blue winter roses to Lady Lyanna Stark of Winterfell, and all smiles faded that day.

 

If only I had won, I could’ve given that rose to the one that I had loved, but then again, she was already betrothed to another prince, perhaps if I had done that, in some ways, it would have been worse.

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I saw the expressions of the lords and ladies that day. I was there, laying on the ground, ribs broken, yet I could see it clearly, the faded smiles the lords and ladies of Westeros, the rage of Prince Oberyn, the look of surprise of Lord Brandon Stark, the calm rage of Lord Robert Baratheon, the pensive look of Prince Morian, and the sad look of Princess Elia.

 

When the tourney was over, Lord Robert Baratheon didn’t dwell on it, saying that it’s a compliment that his betrothed caught the eye of the prince, but I could see it, the Baratheon rage swelling in his eyes. The Martells were worse, in their eyes, the prince had insulted Dorne. After the tourney ended, I heard Prince Oberyn trying to persuade Princess Elia to go home to Sunspear, but she insistently refuse, as she still has her daughter, much to his disappointment, the Martells then quickly leave Harrenhal, enraged by the insult, although I had noticed that Prince Morian was calm, as if he had anticipate it.

 

The Mad King doesn’t have much of a reaction, he looked displeased at the action, as in his eyes, no Westerosi woman is worthy of the Dragon Blood, but what he feared however, was betrayal. He had ordered Ser Lewyn to follow the Martells, warning them not to launch a rebellion, The Mad King wanted to burn the two Princes there and there, but Varys, whom the king had trusted as he was the one who told him that his son might be conspiring against him, had told him not to act carelessly towards the two princes, he had said that his little birds can’t penetrate Dorne, and if he tried to kill the two princes, assassins might start to target the king.

 

Varys had made the Dornish like Lord Tywin. The king didn’t want to kill Tywin on the spot because he feared that there would be countermeasures against him, he feared that if he killed Tywin on the spot, assassins would target him. And so he decided against it, instead, the king ordered Princess Elia to live in King’s Landing for now, as a hostage, just like Jamie Lannister.

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