30 DAY CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT MEME;;

DAY FOURTEEN (x)

Do they, or have they in the past, had a mentor? What was their relationship with this person, and how has it changed since then?   I suppose Lyanna has had a few mentors, but the most notable of these is, of course, Doran Martell. I’m sure that he wasn’t happy about keeping his promise to his sister after she died, and Lyanna probably reminded him a lot of something very painful, but over the decade and a half that Lyanna spent as Doran’s ward, they developed a very close relationship. Doran became the only family that Lyanna had, and she loves him very much. More than that, however, is how much Doran influenced Lyanna as a person. She may have grown up in Winterfell, but she became a woman in Dorne, and much of her adult personality and skillset were hugely affected by Doran’s leadership. There are so many ways in which this is the case, but the foremost of which are his encouragements of her as a combatant, as an advocate for Dorne, and in her continued education. 

          Supporting Lyanna’s desire to fight not only gave her the ability to protect herself (and others, if need be), but it also granted Lyanna confidence in herself and taught her important life skills such as having to rein in her temper and master the art of schooling her features when need be, but also patience, and meditation, as well as an outlet for her anger and frustration. The physicality of learning how to fight kept Lyanna healthy both physically and emotionally. She learned how to take care of herself and how to vent in a constructive way. She learned how to keep her emotions from getting the best of her, to stay in control, even when lives are at stake (this was perhaps her most difficult lesson, as Lyann tends to be emotional, but it helps her in matters of ambassadorship as well). Combat also developed much of her faith and allowed her to find a closeness with the old gods and and inner peace that she lacked when she arrived in Dorne. It helped her in many ways to become who she is now, and none of these things would have been available to her if it weren’t for Doran Martell. 

          Doran also trusted Lyanna to help take some of the weight of Dorne from his shoulders, which eventually became a position as an ambassador to the country. Not only did this give Lyanna a purpose larger than herself that allowed her to put aside her guilt and depression in order to have a meaningful life, but it also allowed her to travel, to learn about other cultures, and to think strategically as well as bargain with high stakes. Lyanna learned very quickly about the Dornish economy and political climate, and it became important to her to help Doran take care of his people (who very quickly became her own people as well). She knows about outmaneuvering power-hungry houses because she watched Doran protect his position from Dornish nobility who would have seen him outed as prince. She knows about economy because Doran let her help him balance the country’s finances with feeding its people. This subsequently taught her about trade because Dorne relies so heavily on imports in order to eat, due to the climate making it difficult to develop domestic agriculture. The cornerstone of Dorne’s survival is trade with Essos, and Lyanna became the lynch pin to securing those arrangements. If Doran had not involved her, believed in her, and given her that kind of responsibility, Lyanna never would have become the woman she is. 
What sort of education have they had? Do they want more?   Lyanna did learn from a tutor when she grew up in Winterfell, but much of the bulk of her education did not come from traditional classroom learning, but rather from her own hunger for knowledge. She loves to read, and enjoys books on a wide variety of subjects, and additionally loves to travel, which brings its own kind of education. Much of this was also influenced by Doran Martell, as he was a big part of giving her access to books, to other tutors, and to other parts of the world. 
Who was their idol growing up? Who was the first person they fantasized about?    These are actually not the same person. Her idol growing up was her older brother, Brandon. He was her absolute hero and she worshiped him and wanted to be just like him when she grew up. The first person she really fantasized about was probably Rhaegar Targaryen, though, or maybe his wife. Or both. Both is good.