276 AL

In his solar with only Maester Walys Flowers beside him, Lord Rickard Stark read the letter in his hands for the third time, his eyes widening in surprise at this unexpected proposal that was being brought before him. He supposed he should have been prepared for this to happen, especially in strange times like these.

The raven had arrived in the early morning, whilst Benjen were sparring in the Winterfell courtyards and Lyanna watched her brother enviously. The bird had tiredly flown past the gates of Winterfell and perched itself by his window-still, fluttering its wings in exhausation. It bore a letter from Princess Mariya Martell - the current ruler of Dorne and a woman Rickard had never expected to be contacted by. In fact, it was quite rare for the North to receive any communication from Dorne or vice versa, considering the distance between the two regions.

He had broken the seal and glazed over her elegant penmanship with trepidation. Although the letter itself was short and to the point, it's content were anything but.

Princess Mariya was suggesting the notion of a betrothal between his eldest son and heir, Brandon, and her daughter Princess Elia, who even at the age of twenty was unmarried. Rickard could sense the desperation tinged in her writings as she urged him to consider this coupling. She had the right to it of course.

He knew that when the Princess had been old enough, her mother arranged a number of suitors to come to Dorne, amongst them Baelor Hightower. Elia had rejected them all, for reasons Rickard did not know.

Princess Mariya, who had been good friends with Lady Joanna Lannister, had even sent Prince Oberyn and Princess Elia to visit Casterly Rock with the idea of marrying one or both of them to Lady Joanna's twin children, Cersei and Jaime. However, Joanna had died giving birth to Tyrion Lannister, and it was to his understanding that it had been a rather sour and unreceptive awaiting the Martells. Tywin had insulted them gravely when he had rudely declined the marriage proposals and instead offered the Princess his dwarf son.

He could understand their outrage and frustration with Tywin Lannister. Although Rickard respected the man and even somewhat admired his ambition and mind for thinking, he did not hold much love for the Great Lion. Rickard had previously sent a raven to Casterly Rock asking if the Lannisters would consider betrothing Cersei to Brandon. Tywin had not even bothered to send back a message of his refusal. It was a shame, really, and somewhat of a slight.

It seemed the Martells were having a difficult time obtaining a husband for the eldest daughter. Princess Mariya had attempted to negotiate something with the King during the past years, but then Lord Steffon Baratheon and his wife Cassana Estermont had returned from their mission in the Free Cities with a prospectful bride for Prince Rhaegar - a women of strong Valyrian heritage and with the backing of a very rich family, nothing came to pass. Rhaegar was to wed his foreign bride this year. Rickard was still undecided if he should attend the ceremony. It was his future king after all.

Elia had been offered to Robert Baratheon, his son Eddard's closest friend in the Vale, but Rickard had already graciously swooped in beforehand, and now his daughter was to wed Robert when she was seventeen and flowered. It was arrangement that was mutally welcomed by all parties associated, especially Eddard and Robert.

And so now, Dorne sought an alliance with the North. One part of Rickard was glad of this opportunity. Last year, in order to strengthen the friendship, Rickard had asked and almost came close to having Brandon betrothed to Lady Cateyln Tully, Hoster Tully's twelve year old daughter. Although Hoster himself had been enthustatic about the alliance, he had unceremoniously chosen Elbert Arryn, the heir to the Vale, when it had been time to choose. Rickard held him no ill.

He had later asked for Brandon's hand to be tied with Lysa Tully, but Hoster had been in the process of negotiating a betrothal with Jaime Lannister. By all reports, things were going rather smoothly. Rickard had to respect Hoster's ability to play the game. With two strokes he was securing the safety of the Riverlands for two generations or more.

But the other part of him was apprehensive. What was the Princess playing at? The North could not do her much use if Dorne was ever threatened. The Kingdoms were too far apart, and the amount of time it would take for the North to assemble its soldiers...was Mariya truly desperate for a good, prestige match for her daughter? Or was she thinking of something else - another plan?

"My lord, may I offer my thoughts?" His maester asked, as Rickard placed the letter back down of the table in confliction.

"Of course. I would like to hear your thoughts," The maester had been his one source of conversation after his wife had passed giving birth to Benjen. "Is this coupling worthwhile, or folly? I cannot make my mind up."

"Marrying the future Lord of Winterfell to a Princess of Dorne would not exactly have been my first choice," Walys Flowers admitted. "I would have hoped the negotiotions with the Tullys, the Tyrells or even the Lannisters would bear fruit, but sadly..."

"A tragedy indeed." Rickard said dryly. He had not even considered the Tyrells. They seemed too impertinent for his son. A rose would not do well in the North. Then again, what about the basking sun?

"However, perhaps my lord should consider to accept this marriage proposal? The Martells are related, albiet distantly, to the Targaryens, and if the worse should come to pass...well, it would not be bad for the future Lord of Winterfell to be half of Dornish blood."

Rickard knew what Walys was intimating.

"Mayhaps, but Brandon is fifteen - almost sixteen - years old. Elia of Dorne is twenty. And from some of the accounts I am hearing, she is frail. It does not matter to strengthen our ties with the South if my son cannot be given a legitimate heir!"

"My lord, she may be sickly, but I do not think Baelor Hightower, the heir to Hightower, would come from the Reach to ask for her hand if the Hightower's had not thought she could produce heirs. Perhaps she may not have the capacity for multiple children, but one-two-three? A Son and two daughters? One daughter and two sons? House Stark would still be secure."

Rickard leaned back against his chair, stroking his beard thoughtfully. Brandon was currently being fostered at Barrowtown with Lord Dustin, but he knew that his son loved riding the Rills where Lord Ryswell ruled over. Brandon loved horses - a passion he shared with Lyanna amongst other things. In fact, his eldest and his only daughter were really so alike, it was sometimes hard to tell the difference.

Brandon would be open to the idea, Rickard knew that much. Marrying a Princess - an exotic, fair beauty by all reports - was a good way to lead a life. He just wondered what the Princess would feel. Would she be ill against Brandon's hot-headed nature - the wolf-blood that was a touch in Lyanna, but with Bran, it was so much more.

Then their was the matter of Eddard and Benjen. He might let his third born son join the Night's Watch if he so desired, but Eddard would be expected to marry at least a noblewoman of the North. Perhaps a Karstark, or a Manderly? Or, if it was permitted, he wondered if he could contact the Blackwoods and try to arrange something there.

Rickard breathed in deeply, before finally coming to his decision. Motioning Maester Walys, he said, "Send a reply back with your fastest raven to Princess Mariya that House Stark would be honoured to be allied with House Martell in this way. Also, send a messenger to Barrowtown for my son to inform him of what has happened here."

Walys nodded, "My lord, should we not give out terms for this betrothal?"

Rickard thought for a moment. "If the Princess agrees, they will marry in the 281th Year After Aegon's Landing. Brandon will be in his twenties. Dornishwoman are very fertile, or so I hear, so her age of almost twenty-six should not prove a problem. Also, I would like for the Princess to visit and perhaps stay at Winterfell for a time before the wedding takes place - to make her more accustom to the North."

Walys bobbed his head in agreement, and left in a hurry.

Rickard stood and went to his window, watching Benjen and Lyanna race off towards the Godswood to do gods knows what. His dear wife always had seemed better at handling Lya than he was.

It would have been madness to refuse this Stark-Martell marriage, especially considering how both Houses really did not have anywhere to turn to except for their own bannermen. Rickard wondered if any good would come of his decision, or if it would have terrible consequences for not only his family, but the rest of the Seven Kingdoms. Unsurprisingly, he did not want to know.

Just an idea that popped in my head that fascinated me to no end. Sorry if their was an continuity errors. Hope you like it.

Note on Marriage Couplings by End of Chapter:

- Brandon Stark/Elia Martell

- Cateyln Tully/Elbert Arryn

- Lysa Tully/Jaime Lannister

- Robert Baratheon/Lyanna Stark

- Rhaegar Targaryen/OC

Those wondering, The Dragon Prince and A Morning of Wolves and Dragons, I will republish and continue respectively, in the not-so-distant-future. I just have had a lot going on in my life that it makes it hard to write chapters that I feel are satisfactory for both stories. I don't want both to feel like copy-and-paste of other great asoiaf stories on this site.