Eighth Month of 284 A.C. Sunspear
Prince Oberyn Martell
The war was over, but the anger that Oberyn felt was still raw. How could it not be, when the anger he felt was also grief? Grief over the death of his sister, who he had been very close to, grief over the deaths of a niece and a nephew that he had only seen once. His anger was still so fresh and all over the place that he did not think he could truly ever see the light again. Had Rhaegar not been so foolish as to run away with the Stark child then perhaps this war would never have happened, but then again his goodbrother had always been slightly off, there was something about him that had distinctly worried Oberyn. His sister had always been too good for that Silver Haired prat. And it seemed half of Dorne agreed with him. And yet Doran did nothing and it was frustrating.
"How can you be so calm and willing to accept the terms that Robert Baratheon lays at your feet, when it is because of Baratheon and his allies that Elia is dead?" Oberyn fumed.
"Because it will mean peace and an end to this constant fighting that we have been in for a year now. Dorne cannot suffer any more losses Oberyn." Doran said.
"Peace? How can you want peace when our sister and her children will go unavenged, so long as that usurper sits the throne? He and the Lannisters would rather see us rot then ever give us justice. I do not believe what Arryn says is true." He growled.
His brother as always was patient. "We cannot and will not do anything now. We cannot afford to do so. No matter how much you, or anyone else might wish to do something. We have nowhere near the strength to take on Baratheon."
"Then give me leave to go across to Essos and bring my men here to Dorne. And give me leave to bring the other companies here, and we can plan for our revenge." Oberyn said desperately.
"Plan what Oberyn? A war? War is not a game as you should know by now. If you do this, then all of Dorne will bleed and more of our people will die. And that is something, I cannot and will not allow." Doran replied.
"Do you not want revenge for our sister then Doran? Have you become so concerned with appearances that you have forgotten what it means to be Dornish then brother?" Oberyn questioned
"Of course I do brother. But I must put the needs of the people above my own. And the people will die needlessly in this attempted war of yours." Doran replied.
"Daeron Targaryen remains in Braavos waiting for us to act. Why do we not act brother? The terms Jon Arryn has given us are weak and pathetic." Oberyn protested.
"Daeron Targaryen is but a boy who has not a chance in the seven hells in regaining his throne if he thinks that is what he means to do. We must wait and bide our time, and when the moment is right we shall have our revenge." Doran says calmly.
"What do you mean brother?" Oberyn asks intrigued.
His brother takes a sip of wine and then says. "There are plans being put in place even now to ensure we get our justice."
"Plans? What plans? How are these plans being made?" Oberyn asked.
"Despite what you and many others think Oberyn, I am still doing what I can to ensure our family has its interests looked after. And though I might be considering Jon Arryn's terms it is perhaps best if he thinks that we are doing what the crown wants and not what we are actually doing." His brother replies.
"I, I do not understand what you mean brother." Oberyn says.
Doran sighs. "Nor shall you. As long as Jon Arryn remains a guest in Sunspear we shall remain as we are now. And let him go back to court and report disunity in the court here. Let Robert Baratheon think he can play on that."
Oberyn is confused, whenever there were arguments between their mother and father, they would always try and band together for outsider's perspective. "I, do not understand brother. Why would you want us to appear weak?"
"Once more brother, that is something that you shall learn only when Jon Arryn has left Sunspear and not before." Doran says and that brings an end to their meeting.
And so it is with this state of confusion that Oberyn stays and listens as his brother plays court to Jon Arryn, Hand of the King to the usurper, and tries to hold his breathe and tongue against the countless wrongs that they are being dealt. When it finally comes to the final meeting, Oberyn is once more present. "My Lord Hand," Doran begins. "After much thought and deliberation, it is with great pleasure I announce my happiness at accepting the peace terms with which King Robert has set before us. I hope that we can go about our business in a kind and friendly manner from now on."
Oberyn grits his teeth as Jon Arryn says. "I am most pleased to hear that my prince. After all the rumours that reached us King's Landing, you can understand why his grace felt anxious to quell such rumours once and for all. He desires nothing but peace and happiness for all now that the war is done."
"Quite." Doran says.
The negotiations done, they drink and feast well into the night. It is during the course of this night, that Oberyn leaves the company of his paramour and love Ellaria and goes to seek out the Daynes of Starfall. One of the few families in Dorne to have been so close to the Targaryens and so badly affected by their madness, as well as close kin to Oberyn and his brother. He sees his cousin Lord Alric Dayne standing on a balcony looking lost and says. "What's the matter cousin? You look like Doran usually does now."
Normally his cousin would laugh at that but now he merely turns and says. "That is because I finally understand what it is to rule and lose the ones you love because of it."
Oberyn feels something inside of him sink then. "No word on Ashara then?"
"No, not since that day Eddard Stark came and left Dawn with us. She was not the same after that and then she just left without a word. Ullrick has not been able to find anything. And my mother despairs of ever seeing her again." Alric responds.
"She can't have just disappeared. Even to get on a ship as some say, she would need to have gone to Plankytown and I promise you had we heard anything about it we would have let you know. She must be somewhere near." Oberyn tried to reassure his cousin.
"Grandmother believes that she might be hostage of the High Hermitage lot. But they deny everything." Alric said.
Oberyn shuddered at the thought, the High Hermitage Daynes were notorious in Dorne for their cruelty and their greed. And these current bunch were no better. As to his grandmother, Rhae Targaryen had been a Princess of the Blood once, and now, now she was still as fierce as she had been at five and ten when she had wed his grandfather the former Lord Ullwyck Dayne. "Well we must look into this in a deeper fashion cousin. We cannot trust Ser Garin and Ser Gerold. They are two of the biggest crooks Dorne has ever seen."
"I know that Oberyn I truly do. But until Alynna has borne me an heir I cannot do anything but pray that Ashara will be safe and she will know that she can come back home no matter what wrong she has done. Until then I can do nothing, and that, that is killing me." Alric said.
"I can look for her cousin. Doran does not trust me with his plots and plans. I have nothing more to do now that the war is done. I can scour Dorne for her." Oberyn said.
His cousin looks at him something funny and then says. "I do think that you might be unable to do that Oberyn. After all you are Doran's brother and in times of trouble, it is only family we can count on."
His cousin turns and walks inside at that, and leaves Oberyn to stand on the balcony for some more time as the night roars on, and he remains out there thinking about life, about his mother dead for five years now, about father dead for ten, about his own grandfather whom he barely knew but whom Doran knows all the stories about. And most of all he thinks of Elia, of her laugh, her smile and her way with words and quiet strength. His anger at Rhaegar grows at that, his carelessness and how he threw everything away to be with a mere child who did not even survive the mere task he had given her. The cost of that all will be felt for years to come, and that in itself makes Oberyn more than angry.
At some point in the night, he must have walked back to his and Ellaria's chambers though he has no recollection of doing so. In the morning he wakes, dresses and then goes to see Jon Arryn off, and once the man and his party had gone a safe distance towards Plankytown, Doran summons him to his solar and says. "You accused me yesterday of not caring about Elia and her children. I will say this now, you have never been more wrong. When news reached us of her death, I wanted to ride to King's Landing myself and kill her killers with my bare hands, but I am not strong nor am I a fighter. Instead I must plot and work to undermine Robert Baratheon and Tywin Lannister."
"How will you do that brother? You, yourself admitted yesterday that they are too strong for you to challenge." Oberyn asks.
"There are other ways to undermine people then with just brute force Oberyn. We have our allies at court and in amongst the seeds of the Lannisters and Baratheons there are those who hunger for more glory and gain. It is to those men and women we shall turn our attention to. They will work from the inside to cause disunity and chaos amongst the alliance that put Robert Baratheon on the throne. And when the time is right, Daeron Targaryen shall come back and reclaim what was taken from him, and Dorne shall stand beside him." Doran replied.
"How do we know he is not as mad as his brother was?" Oberyn asks.
His brother smiled. "Because I have my spies in amongst his company. How do you think he got to Braavos? Dornish people work for the King now and give me reports on how smart he is and what he is like. Soon enough you shall go to Braavos and will treat with him, under the guise of meeting with the Sealord."
"What? Why will I be going to Braavos? Why should I go and treat with the Targaryens?" Oberyn asked.
"Because, it is your duty as a son of Dorne, to ensure that our allies are well looked after and that they know whom their allies are. These are dangerous times Oberyn, there are few whom we can trust, and fewer the Targaryens can trust. But if we work together and work towards the same goals, we shall be night unstoppable. And besides, there is a marriage pact that must be witnessed." Doran responds.
"A marriage pact?" Oberyn asked. "You would wed one of Dorne to those dragons?"
"Aye, our support comes at a cost, as any self-respecting lord knows. Daeron Targaryen wants our support, he shall make Arianne a queen and make up for how his brother treated our sister." Doran says simply.