"winter roses sound like a wondrous sight. you will have to take us there when they come into bloom, all of us." both hands curled around lyanna's, warm, soft touch of a friend who would not leave her side until she was ready to rest. "he is not my friend, you are. i would not speak a word of it to him even if you did not care to keep it a secret." she spoke of her increase in size, and ashara smiled knowingly -- for a few more weeks, it may be attributed to rich foods still, but after that, it would grow more difficult to hide. "i understand you need time, to process it all. but what will you do when it can no longer be concealed?" a question she likely had no answer to yet. "you may find he will agree to wed you once he knows, but since he has rejected you before, i doubt it would be for the reasons of the heart. such a union, devoid of love, brought about only by a shared responsibility for your child⦠well, you know i could not stand it."
she loosened their hold to guide a hand to her cheeks, in an effort to dry tears. "i wrote to olyver's father when i was a little over five moons. i gave him ample time, to read my letter and to return to starfall, to witness the birth of our child. dorne would not have required marriage of us, or a name other than sand for our boy. varyn never answered, he never came to see us. when i asked the truth of him, he told me he had never received the letter. only after i wed him did i come to understand he had received it, and burnt it." she inhaled deeply, and exhaled, before speaking again. "i was not cross with him, i am not cross now. i've no respect for him at all. my boy smiles brighter than the sun, he laughs, eats with a healthy appetite, walks, tries to talk. he is well, and he will grow up and know his mother to be truly content, which was impossible beside the man who sired him. your babe needs a healthy, happy mother, and their mother needs helping hands. you have my support and my promise to love and protect your child, as you love and protect mine."
"the maester is kinder than most of his sort, he will treat you with respect. --here, try a little. these are plain, easy on the stomach." she had plated oatcakes for lyanna, opting for sugar-dusted cakes for herself. "leave the tea, i will have them make fresh ginger tea for you instead. it helps settle nausea."