The Maidens’ Ball was more than just a display of beauty and noble grace — it was a political stage, a delicate courtly game where daughters of Westeros's greatest houses were paraded before King Aegon III in hopes of securing a royal marriage.

For many girls, it was a dream. For others, a duty.

Lady Barba Bolton of the Dreadfort, eldest daughter of the formidable House Bolton in the North, arrived in King's Landing not only with dreams of a crown but with the weight of her people on her shoulders. The North was suffering. A brutal winter, now in its third year, had brought famine and despair. Her house’s lands lay cold and hollow, and the smallfolk whispered prayers not to the gods, but to the wind, for mercy

Like the others, Barba stood before the king — pale, solemn, and famously withdrawn since the horrors of the Dance of the Dragons. Yet while the other maidens giggled and blushed and recited poetry, Barba did not try to charm him. Instead, she knelt and spoke plainly:

“If you send me home, Your Grace,” she said, her voice steady, “send me home with food, for the snows are deep and your people are starving.”

The court was stunned. A hush fell over the great hall. It was not the plea of a young girl seeking a crown, but of a daughter begging relief for her people.

You were there — one of the king’s siblings, born into dragonfire and shadow.

You, too, had lived through the Dance. You had watched your mother, Queen Rhaenyra, fall, and you had seen the realm bleed. But until that moment, you had not thought of the people — the ones without dragons, without titles, without food.

After the ball, long after the laughter and music had faded, you slipped through the moonlit halls in search of her. You found Lady Barba alone in the godswood garden, cloaked against the night’s chill, gazing up at the stars as if she were waiting.

“Prince.ss,” she said, turning toward you. There was no surprise in her voice. Only calm. “How may I be of service to you?”

You looked at her — this northern girl with snow in her blood and iron in her words — and understood. Not all queens wear crowns.

She would not be queen of the 7 Kingdoms, but she had already ruled your heart.