Ashara Dayne

"My father remembered a beautiful woman with purple eyes who danced with Ser Barristan Selmy and several others. As the end of the evening approached, Brandon Stark asked her for one more dance on his shy brother's behalf, and so Eddard Stark shared the last dance of the celebration with Lady Ashara Dayne."

- Meera Reed

Lady Ashara Dayne is an unseen character in Game of Thrones. She is not expected to appear in the series, being dead when it begins. She was a Lady of House Dayne and the sister of Ser Arthur Dayne.

Background
Lady Ashara Dayne was present at the great tourney at Harrenhal in the Year of the False Spring, where she danced with Ser Barristan Selmy and several others. Towards the end of the evening, she was approached by Brandon Stark who asked her for a dance on behalf of his shy younger brother Eddard. She accepted and she and Eddard shared the last dance of the celebration.

In the books
In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, Lady Ashara Dayne was renowned for her great beauty. She was tall and had long hair and violet eyes. She was an object of infatuation for many men and including Ser Barristan Selmy and, according to rumor, Eddard Stark.

Ashara was a lady-in-waiting to Princess Elia Martell.

Following the Showdown at the Tower of Joy, Eddard Stark traveled to Starfall to inform House Dayne of Ser Arthur Dayne's death and return his sword, Dawn. Ashara committed suicide by throwing herself from the top of the Palestone Sword, the tallest tower in Starfall, onto the cliff atop the sea. Her body was never found.

Ashara was suspected to be the mother of Jon Snow, and that her suicide was caused by the grief over the hand her alleged lover Eddard played in her brother's death. Catelyn Stark asked him if this was true, and Eddard angrily told her to never ask him about Jon, that the boy was his blood and that this was all she needed to know. Ashara's name was never mentione din Winterfell again after this.

Despite these rumors, Barristan Selmy believed that Ashara had given birth to a stillborn daughter, and that a man had dishonored her during the tourney at Harrenhal.