Suns and Snakes
At the Water Gardens
"I caught a fourth one," Elia said, victoriously. "I win."
Oberyn couldn't believe it. "You don't," he said and immediately decided that a little lie was more than worth it. He could not have Elia beat him in chasing fireflies. Sure, she had seen eight namedays to his seven but she was a girl. "This isn't a fourth one," he declared. "You only caught two before."
Elia looked at him indignantly. "I didn't!" she squealed in anger.
The Water Gardens rang with the voices of children who were now arguing whether it was Oberyn or Elia who had caught more fireflies. A few dogs started running in panic around. Servants came over to see what the din was about. And then, a voice that gave Oberyn a shiver. "What's going on? Aren't you supposed to be in bed, all of you, already?"
Oberyn bit his lip. He loved his brother but Doran scared him sometimes when he acted as if he was already sitting in their mother's place. Ever since he could remember, Oberyn had been able to tell when caught up in the act whether his brother scolded him because he felt he should, although his heart wasn't in it… and when Doran really, truly meant it. He was quite frightening when he did – and he had been in bad mood already when he came to the Water Gardens about an hour ago.
Sure enough, Doran's eyes immediately went to him. "What are you up to now, Oberyn?"
"He's cheating!"Elia called out indignantly. "He said I only caught two fireflies so he can win. But I didn't, Doran, there were three before…"
"I see," Doran interrupted and gave Oberyn the look the boy hated most – one of disappointment. "Why would you do such a thing, Oberyn? Do you want to make Elia unhappy?"
"No!" Oberyn denied passionately. He truly didn't want for his sister to feel bad. It was just that… well, it was a game and he had to win. Besides, Elia would surely lose tomorrow because Oberyn was just better at it. "They were truly two…"
"Oh no, they weren't," Doran interrupted and Oberyn swallowed. Doran couldn't know, could he? "Elia came to me each time she caught a firefly to show it to me. There were three, Oberyn, I counted. Actually, I wrote the numbers down because I don't trust you. Do you want to see them?"
"No," Oberyn said, angrily at being not only outplayed but outsmarted, too. He glared at Elia who smiled triumphantly.
All around them, noise erupted and scared the birds away from the blood orange trees in a flurry of wings and panicked squeaks.
"By the gods!" Doran exclaimed and ran his hands through his hair, irritated. "Can't one hear their own thoughts here? Keep silent and make me forget you're all here, or you're all going to bed. Starting with those two," he added, looking at his siblings pointedly.
In the sudden silence that followed, Oberyn turned his back to the other children and went off to sulk – silently. He hated it when Doran acted all grown up. It was more amusing when his brother told him stories, or took him to a ride and boosted him on his own stallion, or when he praised Oberyn for defeating boys much larger than himself in the pools. But sometimes, Doran had little time and even less patience for Oberyn and the boy heartily disliked him for that.
He shivered a little in his light robes and looked at the moon. It was almost full. He was quite tired. Maybe he should go to bed – and tomorrow, he would make things right with Elia. He would not apologize, of course…
Something glittering brought his attention to the grass. He looked down, right into the deepest blue eyes he had ever seen. The body glinted in golden and silver rings.
A broad smile split his face in two, from ear to ear. Snakes were something one just got used to in Dorne but that did not mean one had to like them. Oberyn knew for sure that very little of the children in the Water Gardens shared his liking for the creatures. Elia, for one, hated them wholeheartedly.
He looked down, frowning in concentration. No, it was not a poisonous sort. Good! He leaned over and wrapped the creature around his arm, to a loud hiss. The length of the arm barely sufficed.
Very cautiously, Oberyn sneaked into the living quarters. Darkness was his friend. The snake had clearly figured it had no use of hissing, so he had stopped. Grinning from ear to ear, Oberyn deposited the chain of silver and gold into his brother's bed and arranged the coverlet artfully, so nothing showed. It was for welcome, he decided as he hid at the terrace, waiting for Doran to come back. He relished the sound of the shriek that was to follow. After all, Doran had taken Elia's side against him and had threatened him with sending him to bed. He had it coming. But Doran didn't come back and he heard nothing.
He woke up a few times, slightly cold, and once he saw that the candles in the room were now lit and burning down. Doran had come back and was clearly reading or something. The snake must have escaped, Oberyn realized disappointed and decided to have just a little rest before he jumped over the railing to go to his own room.
He woke up to find himself being carried through the hallways. His bleary eyes found his brother's face very close to his own. "Aren't you sleeping?" he asked, now entirely sure and dejected. The snake had escaped.
Doran laughed softly. "I am sleeping soundly and I am dreaming that Oberyn has paid me a night visit!"
"Oh," Oberyn said and closed his eyes.
"You are a very clever little snake, aren't you?" Doran said. His bad mood was clearly over and Oberyn smiled a little.
"I am," he said, just when Doran left him at the door of his own bedchamber.
"Sleep tight, little viper," his brother said and left.
Oberyn was on his way to do just that – until he climbed into bed and found something warm and slithery into the bedclothes with him.
He screamed and sprang up, bolting from the bed before he realized what it was.