Angel Chapter 14, an a song of ice and fire fanfic

Chapter 14

Elia

"Jaime!" Elia exclaimed as the blonde landed in a boneless heap by the side of the horse.

She hurried over and knelt down next to him, pushing his golden hair back from his forehead and feeling the skin there before retracting her fingers with a hiss. He was burning up with fever and his hair was damp from it.

The guards upon seeing the collapse of the knight raced the rest of the way into the lower dome like tower.

Using all of her strength, she gently rolled Jaime over and could see that his eyes were closed and his breathing was slightly laboured.

She glanced down at his bound up hand and cringed slightly to herself. There was no way she wanted to look at that right now.

The blood from the wound in his shoulder had been slowly bleeding through the bandage all that day and Elia didn't want to know how much had been lost in their desperate journey to Sunspear.

She quickly sent up a prayer to the Mother for mercy on Jaime's life. Please help him. There is no way my children and I would have made it to safety if it hadn't been for him.

"Elia!"

At the sharp but familiar voice the Dornish princess looked up as if she had been shocked with electricity.

It was then that she saw the most welcome face she had seen in weeks.

Doran Martell was being wheeled toward her by the captain of his guards Areo Hotah. He appeared older than the last time she had seen him which was four years ago and there was the beginnings of slight grey hair around his temples. The lines in his face were deeper but his eyes were still the same stern dark orbs she remembered before she had bid him farewell what seemed like a lifetime ago. His hair was hanging lustrous and glossy about his face and he was wearing the burnt orange and yellow colors of his house in a long tunic which was open at the neck to absorb some of the breeze coming in off the sea.

He was staring at her in shock as if she were a ghost long dead and Elia realized with a jolt that he must have received word from the capital by now of their terrible demise. It had been weeks since King's Landing had fallen to the Lannisters and messages must have been flying back and forth about what Tywin Lannister had done to the capital.

Her brother must have had no reason to think she was not dead after the treachery of the lions. She had never seen him as shocked before as he was now. Doran was a man who was always coolly in control of his surroundings and his emotions. He was a brilliant and shrewd man who had always possessed no small amount of cunning. In fact it seremed as if his mind made up for the fact that he could not use his legs as well as he would like.

He had always ensured that she was taken care of and because the lines in his face were deeper, she sensed that he had gone through a period of grief when he learned of her supposed death.

But here she was whole and standing before him with her children beside her who were also unharmed.

It must have been like a dream come true.

"Doran," she whispered all of her emotions beginning to burst forth inside of her like a well that had been plugged for too long.

All of the weeks of travel and terror of someone seeing them and recognizing them and then the worry for the last several hours about Jaime and what they were going to do if he died came over her like a wave.

She swayed slightly and instantly Doran was beside her in his chair, arms reaching for her. She all but fell into them as if they were the only thing holding her upright and began to weep.

Her shoulders were shaking with sobs as she allowed the weeks of grief and terror and anger to wash over her.

Doran said nothing but gently rubbed her back slowly as he had done when she was still a child. He was ten years older than she was and had often been more of a parent to her than the mother she remembered only distantly.

Though he had often held her in a reserved manner because of his duties as Prince of Dorne and Lord of Sunspear and the Sandship, he had never been this liberal in his affection for her. It was a testament to how glad he was to see her that he was allowing his guard to drop in this way.

"Hush now it's alright," he said in her ear in his low gruff voice. "You're safe now."

She nodded but continued to weep for a few moments longer until she had cried out all of the tears she could in that moment.

She would probably cry again later though.

With a great effort she managed to push herself back so she could look into Doran's eyes that were still searching hers with shock and wonder.

"How Elia?" he asked softly. "How are you here? We received word weeks ago that the capital had fallen. Word that the Lannisters had betrayed the king and sided with the rebels…word that you were dead."

Elia shook her head. "It was all a ruse brother. A very elaborate ruse that was set up by Lord Varys who helped orchestrate our escape."

She glanced back at some of the attendants that had come with Doran who were hurriedly attending to Ser Jaime and lifting him onto a cot so they might bring him into the palace. "Please be careful."

"Yes my lady," one of them said.

Doran's eyes widened slightly as the litter bearing Jaime Lannister hurried past into the palace. "Is this not Tywin Lannister's eldest son and heir?"

"Yes it is," Elia said. Her tone hardened when she said her next word. "And he has proven to be the only loyal Lannister in his entire treacherous family. As soon as word came that the lions were sacking the capital Ser Jaime ran to find me and Aegon and Rhaenys so that he might escape before they arrived at the keep."

Doran jerked slightly at the mention of his niece and nephew and looked around Elia to see the twins holding hands and looking about the courtyard of the palace with wide eyes.

A strange emotion seemed to pass like a shadow over his face before it disappeared and his jaw worked for a moment before he was able to speak again. "They're here, and they are both safe."

Elia managed a smile. "Aye, they are tired and scared and perhaps a bit hungry and thirsty but they are here and they are unharmed.

Doran muttered something under his breath that sounded almost like a prayer or perhaps a sarcastic oath before looking back at her. "How did you escape?"

Elia sighed, a wave of fatigue coming on her then and her brother seemed to notice for he gave her a sharp nod. "That is something that can wait. Come you are exhausted and hungry and could do with a rest and some food."

Elia nodded, those two words sounding better than anything she had heard in her entire life. She turned back to the twins. "Come sweetlings."

The both of them paused for a moment, looking warily at Doran as he was a stranger to them.

Elia beckoned again. "Come here Aegon, Rhaenys. I want to introduce you to your uncle. This is Prince Doran Martell, the Lord of Sunspear and the Sandship."

Still holding hands the twins walked closer and peered curiously up at Doran who was watching them with solemn but slightly amused eyes.

"You're our uncle?" Aegon asked finally. "Mama said we were going to meet you."

"Yes Aegon I am," Doran Martell replied. "And I am very pleased to welcome you and your sister to Sunspear. Are you hungry? You look hungry."

Aegon nodded eagerly and Rhaenys paused for a moment before nodding too.

"Well come inside then," Doran said. "And we'll get you something to eat."

Without even thinking about it, Elia took her children's hands and Areo Hotah took the handles of her brother's chair to push him back inside.

"It is very good to see you again my lady," Hotah said quietly to the princess and she smiled at him. "And you Areo. It is very good to be home."

After the twins had been given something to eat, Elia placed them in the nursery with their cousin Arianne who was the same age as the twins. Her brother's first son Quentyn was two and several months earlier, her brother's third child Trystane was still a babe in arms.

Their mother Mellario tearfully greeted her goodsister which Elia returned in full force before giving her a brief rundown of the story of how they had escaped and then slipping out to sup with her brother who wished to see her immediately.

She found him sitting on the throne of the sun in the long domed hall where he received guests which overlooked the Water Gardens a plate of food on a table beside him along with two goblets of wine.

Elia nodded at Areo who was standing several feet away from him and then all but slumped into the chair beside her brother and closed her eyes, breathing deeply of the sweet fresh air that was coming in off the ocean.

She was home….she could hardly believe it.

After weeks of traveling, hiding running, she was back in Sunspear, the city of her birth and the place she had longed to go to years.

I need to check on Jaime as soon as I finish with Doran, she thought to herself. The maester is in with him now and I know Doran will have sent for Ellaria…I just hope its not too late. I don't want to know how he would react to the knowledge of losing his hand, perhaps even losing a few fingers of his right hand.

Doran waited until she had eaten her fill of the plate and drunk her fill of the wine before he began to speak.

"If you would please fill me in on this plan of Lord Varys sweet sister and how he and Ser Jaime aided in your escape from the capital?"

Elia nodded. "As soon as it was revealed that the Lannisters were sacking the capital, Ser Jaime ran to find me and the twins and brought me to the throne room where Lord Varys was waiting. It was then that we came into contact with a rather large pile of ashes. Apparently it was those of the king."

Doran raised an eyebrow. "Apparently?"

Elia shrugged. "Lord Varys told us that he had entered the throne room just in time to see a pyre in the center of the room burning and apparently the king had tied himself to the stake. He was screaming something about how he wouldn't let anyone take his head and that he would give himself over to the flames."

As she said the words an odd feeling entered the pit of her stomach. She didn't know what had happened in that throne room but she had a feeling that Varys wasn't being entirely truthful about it. But she had also decided that it didn't matter in the slightest. Aerys was dead and that was the only thing that counted.

Doran cursed under his breath. "The man truly was mad then. As mad as Aerion Targaryen was."

"So it would seem," Elia muttered taking a sip of her wine.

"And then what happened?"

"Lord Varys led us to the door that led down into the Black Cells so we would be hidden when the Lannister army came charging into the keep. Fortunately there were no prisoners in the cells at the time so it was very quiet. After about twenty minutes of walking we reached another door in which Varys told us would lead to a passage that went beneath the city and opened up into a building in the Street of Steel. From there we made our plans."

"And what plans were those?" Doran asked. "Does Lord Tywin Lannister know his firstborn son and heir is here?"

Elia smirked at her brother. "Not in the slightest. That was part of our plan. Before we left, Varys took Ser Jaime's sword, a proper blade made in the Westerlands so that he could scorch it and make it appear as if Ser Jaime perished in a fire of some sort. People will say that the lion of Lannister died faithfully serving his king."

Doran nodded, rubbing the side of his face wryly. "A simple but efficient plan. And how will they explain away your absence?"

"Lord Varys had decoys put in place for myself, Aegon and Rhaenys. I don't know who the poor souls were that took our place but they died for us and I will never forget that. To the rest of the realm the four of us who came here are dead."

Doran nodded for a long moment. "And how did you make your escape?"

"The passage that we traveled from courtesy of Lord Varys led us to a blacksmith's shop in the Street of Steel where one of Varys' little birds was waiting to open the door for us. Fortunately it was there that Ser Jaime was able to discard his white cloak and we made it into a sling so I could carry Aegon and Rhaenys. Jaime was able to discard his Kingsguard armor as well and give it to the little boy to carry back to Varys so it could be scorched. From there he found some plain armor hanging on nails in the shop, took another sword and we left. It was…tense getting to the Mud Gate, but we made it in the end and then just kept riding and didn't look back."

Doran nodded. "And after weeks of travel and exhaustion and fear you have arrived. And with the son of the man who has insulted and belittled our family time and time again…interesting."

Elia narrowed her eyes at her brother. "You shouldn't say things like that. Jaime is nothing like his father. He has been the only true friend I have had in the capital these past four years."

Doran looked at her so closely then that she began to feel uncomfortable and blushed, staring down at her knotted hands.

"Indeed," her brother said after a moment and Elia got a feeling that his words meant more than simply for this present situation. "But you need not worry about him. He has done a great service to House Martell and it will not be forgotten."

Elia sighed. "I hope not. He seems to be in a bad way right now. I hope the infection hasn't spread too far."

She went on to tell her brother a little more about their near brush with death by thieves in the oasis the night before and saw her brother's hands tighten on the armrests of his chair in rage. He relaxed slightly when Elia imparted that Jaime had managed to fight most of them off even though they had made off with one of the horses.

"Ser Jaime insisted that he would walk and I would take the horse and thus we walked the rest of the way to Sunspear," Elia finished. "I bound up his hand and shoulder as best I could but that was all I could do. I worry because one of the men had a knife that was coated in some sort of poison and Jaime's hand got in the way of one of its blows. And thus that seemed to bring on the infection. I hope he won't lose his hand and the maester can save it."

"I wouldn't worry too much sister," Doran said. "The wound occurred not too long from Sunspear. If you had been more than two days ride from the capital of Dorne then I would be concerned. However Maester Myles is a skilled man. And Ellaria is the most knowledgeable person about poisons I would argue in all of the south of Westeros. She will know what to do."

"Where is Oberyn?" Elia asked. "I had expected him to be here when we arrived but upon seeing you I nearly fell to pieces."

Doran gave her a slight grim smile. "After we received news about the death of Rhaegar and Uncle Lewyn at the Trident, Oberyn mustered whatever forces there were in Dorne and left during the night to march for the capital. I don't know when he arrived as I have received no letters from him but I hope he will be back soon."

Elia sighed. "I wonder how we could have missed him then."

Doran shrugged. "Perhaps it was simply bad timing."

"Maybe," Elia replied.

"He will be home soon sister," Doran said in the gentle voice he normally used when he was trying to calm her. "Our family will be whole and together again soon."

"I know," Elia said with a sigh. "I know. And it is good to be home. I feel as if I've been looking over my shoulder not only for weeks but since I came to the capital four years ago. Aegon and Rhaenys are safe. They will not have to worry about some dog of Tywin Lannister beating down their door to get rid of the last heirs to the Targaryen throne."

Doran's eyes narrowed slightly at the mention of Tywin Lannister. "I certainly hope the old lion believes this ruse of his son's death. Otherwise this entire scheme will have fallen apart.

"If we are dead, then what possible reason could he have for thinking that his son is alive and in Dorne?" Elia countered. "Even if he didn't believe that Jaime was dead, never in a million years would he think to look here."

"I hope your optimism is warranted sister," Doran said grimly. "I have no wish to draw Dorne into a fight against the rest of the Seven Kingdoms."

"It won't happen," Elia said vehemently. "And Jaime cannot go back even if it is discovered that he is alive. He has committed treason in the eyes of the new king. At best he might be able to hope for the Wall and at worst he will be put to death. I won't let that happen."

Doran raised an eyebrow at her again and she bristled slightly, knowing she had said too much, let too much of her feelings show.

"But it won't come to that," she said quickly. "I don't think the armies of either side wish to continue this fight. The realm has bled enough and Baratheon has won the throne. What more does he want?"

"Aye," Doran said grimly. "The realm has bled enough. I have not forgotten the death of Lewyn Martell. He will be avenged."

Elia felt another wave of grief at the mention of her beloved uncle and closed her eyes for a moment. "He will not be forgotten."

"Nay, nor will the fact that he died in service to an unfaithful prince who could not keep his hands off another man's betrothed."

Elia bristled again. She didn't want to think about Rhaegar and how his sins and those of Lyanna Stark had cost the realm the Warden of the North, his heir, the heir to the Vale and so many more. She had nearly lost her life along with the lives of her children and it had all been because of one man who thought he was above reproach and that some sort of damned prophecy was going to be the solution to the uniting of the realm.

Rhaegar Targaryen was an idiot and Lyanna Stark was a fool.

Doran peered closely at his sister as they sat looking down into the Water Gardens. "Not that it matters sister…but do you know why Rhaegar ran off with the Stark girl?"
Elia sighed. "This will go no further than this room Doran."

"Of course."

"He had become obsessed with a certain prophecy, one about a prince that was promised. He was convinced such an heir would come from his own line and I recall a phrase having something to do with ice and fire. He obviously thought himself the fire but I would not be the ice, he needed to find someone who would supplement that phrase. Apparently Lyanna Stark was the most obvious choice."

Doran's brow had furrowed which meant he was confused, something that didn't happen often. "All of this was because of a prophecy?"

Elia uttered a bitter laugh. "Rhaegar may not have had Aerys insanity but he was cruel in his indifference and opinions nonetheless. He thought he was right and there was nothing that was going to dissuade him from his it. I saw in it in his eyes after the tourney at Harrenhal. There was a sort of triumph there that said he had completed a step in his plan. The details of that plan are still fuzzy to me, but not long after the tourney, Lyanna disappeared and the rest you know."

"Aye and now we are dealing with the fallout. A realm that has been broken apart by one man's greed and ambition, a stag who now sits upon a throne that was never his to begin with and a wolf and a falcon who helped to get him there. Storm's End is still being besieged by Mace Tyrell, the only other Targaryen loyalist and the Tullys plot in their famous hall."

"And the dragons are dead," Elia finished for him somewhat bleakly.

"Not all of them," Doran said with the beginnings of a smile on his face. "Aegon and Rhaenys are still here."

She smiled back at him. "So they are. And as long as they live and no one knows about it, we can use that to our advantage."

"Scheming already sister?"

Elia smiled at him. "Well now that I have had a moment to eat and rest and the twins are asleep in nursery, the future is calling and we need to decide how we are going to meet it."

"I could not have said it better myself," Doran replied. "However we will revisit this conversation when Oberyn returns. He will no doubt be here in the next few days and news of your survival will be a great joy to him."

"I am eager to see him," Elia agreed. "However it is imperative that no one knows that my children and I are alive. No one outside this palace knows but Lord Varys and those two guards at the gate will have to be sworn into silence."

"I have already spoken with them," Doran said in a flinty voice. "And they know that if they are to even reveal the information of your presence here there is nowhere in the Seven Hells that that would allow them a place to escape my wrath."

Elia raised an eyebrow but chuckled her older brother who very rarely had a flare for the dramatic.

"Good," she said some of her anxiety abating somewhat. "Is there any other news from the capital? Ser Jaime and I have been traveling for weeks and other than a pair of merchants we met on the road who offered us safety temporarily, we have heard nothing. They did not know who we are if that is to be your next question."

Doran nodded sharply. "It was but now you have answered it. There has been indeed some news that should be shared. In the weeks of your escape, Robert Baratheon recovered from his wounds and rode to the capital to claim the throne. My spies in the city have informed me that in…gratitude….to the Lannisters for the service they performed for him in wiping out any other claimants to the throne, Baratheon has married Cersei Lannister."

Elia's eyes narrowed. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Even when we were children that girl has always wanted to be a queen. I remember the time we visited the witch in the forests around Casterly Rock who told her that she would be a queen someday. She's never forgotten it. And now she is married to the man who stole my son's throne from him."

"We will take it back sister," Doran said patting her hand. "It may not be for a while yet. But we will take the throne back for Aegon. And if that means that we must topple Baratheon's ass from it than we shall do so."

Elia suddenly burst out laughing. Gods but it felt good to laugh, she felt as if she hadn't laughed for weeks, months even. Every bit of energy had been poured into maintaining a façade, keeping herself and her children safe, staving off grief and rage and then running for her life from the capital.

It felt good to smile and laugh again.

And then she remembered Jaime who was still in critical condition sequestered with the maester and Ellaria Sand in one of the guest chambers and she sobered slightly.

"Has there been any other news?" she asked.

Doran appeared to think for a moment and then his dark eyes brightened. "There was one bright spot in all of the dark that I learned from one of my spies in Essos. It seems that Queen Rhaella Targaryen and her son Prince Viserys have made it safely to Essos and have been received by a Magister Illyrio Mopatis, apparently a friend of Lord Varys if my reports are correct."

Elia all but sagged with relief. She had worried every day for her good mother who had been heavily pregnant when she had left with the King's third child. Aerys had sent them away from the keep to ensure their safety after Rhaegar fell at the Trident. She had received no messages from them since their departure and the silence had been driving her insane.

"And the child she carries?" she asked.

Doran smiled at her. "You will be pleased to know sister that she gave birth to not one child, but two. A boy and a girl whom I have it on good authority that she has named Prince Daeron and Princess Daenerys."

Elia almost wept with happiness at the news. Even before she had married Rhaegar, Rhaella had had such problems conceiving and carrying her children to term that the older woman had muttered to her that she must have been cursed by the gods.

And now though she had lost one son in battle she had gained two more, a son and a daughter.

"Wonderful," she said softly. "I was so worried for her when she left. "And are the new prince and princess well?"

"From what I have heard they are," Doran said kindly. "And this means that the Targaryen line is not dead sister. There are still those who draw breath who can carry it on."

Elia smiled again, this time the genuine thing that made her face appear like sunshine once more. "I know. Thankfully it appears that those residents of the red keep have survived this conflict relatively unscathed. Aerys and Rhaegar were the only ones to play the game and lose."

"Indeed," Doran muttered. "But we shall hardly miss their presence."

She won't miss Aerys, Elia said sadly, thinking of her good mother's reaction to Rhaegar's death. But Rhaegar was still her son despite his sins. And she did love him. She will mourn his passing for the rest of her life.

"I wish I could see my new good brother and good sister," she murmured. "Rhaella has always loved children and the knowledge that she now has three will be good for her soul. They will help her heal."

"Indeed," Doran concurred. "And perhaps you will see them sister. We simply need to wait for the realm to be put back in some semblance of order after the war before we can move about more freely."

"Unless it is to go to the Free Cities, I will never be able to leave Sunspear," Elia said. "And while that sounds like heaven now, I have no wish to look over my shoulder for the rest of my life. Suppose the new king has spies in Dorne and those spies tell him that those who died in the Red Keep were decoys and that the real Prince Aegon and Princess Rhaenys are living in secret in Sunspear. Would he not denounce you for a traitor and take up arms against Dorne?"

"There is a possibility of that," Doran said grimly. "But I would rather war then the alternative."

"We cannot hold back the rest of the realm should the new king choose to march south," Elia protested. "I will not have Sunspear razed to the ground knowing there was something I could have done to prevent it."

Doran was quiet for a long moment. "As of this moment, I cannot see Baratheon doing that. The realm has bled enough and there are those that weary of conflict and are suing for peace. The siege at Storm's End has been broken and the Tyrells have agreed to bend the knee to Robert Baratheon. Peace will come forcibly rather than naturally."

Elia sighed. "But that doesn't mean that this isn't something to consider for the future. While I love Dorne and Sunspear, I do not wish to be a prisoner in my own home for the rest of my life, constantly looking over my shoulder and wondering whether or not one day a letter will come from the king demanding my head and the heads of the twins. I will not risk that Doran."

"I know," he said somewhat gently, reaching over and taking her hand. "And you will not have to. You and I and Oberyn will come up with a plan, whether that is for you to stay here or to go perhaps to the Free Cities where you may sink into anonymity."

The sound of footsteps cut off what Elia was about to say next and she and her brother looked up to see the maester hurrying towards them.

The man skidded to a stop in front of the prince and princess of Dorne and gave them a swift bow. "My prince, my princess."

"Maester Myles, what news?" Elia asked. "How is Ser Jaime?"

"Stable my lady," the maester replied.

Elia could see the sheen of sweat on the man's forehead and could tell he had laboured over the blonde for a long time.

"I sense there is a but coming Myles," Doran said. "Continue."

"Fortunately the infection had not spread to the rest of his hand my prince," the maester continued. "However I did have to remove two of the fingers on his right hand and cauterize the stumps. The rest of the infection in his hand was leeched out by lady Ellaria."

Elia grimaced, wondering how Jaime would take the loss of his fingers. He was a knight and his right hand was his sword hand. He would need to learn to do things differently without them.

"Thank you maester," she said. "And the wound in his shoulder?"

"That should heal with no problems my lady," the maester replied. "He is asleep now but I will count that towards, dehydration exhaustion and blood loss. He also suffered a blow to his head from the ensuing fight that I am concerned about. Did he mention it to you?"

"No," Elia said in alarm half rising from her chair. "He didn't say a word. Will he be alright?"

"I hope so my lady. Physical wounds have a method in which to heal, but head injuries are tricky. At best he may have a bruised skull and at worst there could be permanent damage. However his skull is intact which gives me hope."

"Thank you maester," Doran spoke up then. "Please inform me when Ser Jaime Lannister awakens. And I do not think I need to remind you of what would happen if someone were to become aware of my sister's and Ser Jaime's presence here do I?"

The maester swallowed hard. "No my prince."

"Good. See that you repeat that message to anyone who has seen my sister and Ser Jaime here."

"Yes my prince."

Doran nodded and then waved him away. Elia watched for a moment as Myles hurried back down the corridor away from the throne room and back into the tower.

She closed her eyes and exhaled deeply before leaning back in her chair and shooting up a silent prayer to the Mother for mercy. Please don't take him away….not Jaime…not yet. I….We…need him. I never would have made it here if it hadn't been for him and now he's lost two of the fingers on his sword hand, been stabbed through the shoulder and is suffering from a blow to the head. If he dies….then there truly is no justice in this world.

As she prayed, hot tears formed at the corners of her eyes and pushed their way from under her lids, stinging her cheeks as they slid down her face. Elia took a few deep breaths in an effort to calm herself as silently as possible but it wasn't long before she became aware of Doran's eyes on her face.

She knew she was allowing too much of her emotions to show but at the moment she couldn't help herself. Surely she could be excused for feeling emotional after the journey and harrowing experience that she had just been through. Her brother couldn't fault her for being worried that her rescuers life might be hanging in the balance.

After a moment she noticed out of the corner of her eye that Doran had turned back to look out over the Water Gardens once more which were growing dark and candles were being lit to signal that the night was drawing on.

Silently breathing a sigh of relief Elia reached down for the handkerchief that was resting beside her plate and dabbed at her eyes.

"This is not the end," Doran said calmly and she looked at him confusion. He wasn't looking at her but looking out over the Water Gardens with his usual stoic expression.

It took her a moment to realize that his meaning of the statement was twofold. This was not the end for Jaime, nor would it be the end for her and her children and thus the Targaryen dynasty.

Nothing was going to end, rather it would begin again.

"I know," she whispered. "I know."

The following morning after Doran had insisted that she rest about the harrowing journey she had been through and she had checked on the twins who were sleeping soundly in the nursery with Mellario watching over them, Elia calmly slipped into the guest chambers where Ser Jaime was being tended to.

She had run into Maester Myles in the hallway and he had informed her that Jaime was still unconscious but he was breathing deeply so that unconscious state should turn to sleep sometime in the night.

"He needs to recover the blood he lost from his wounds my lady," Myles had told her. "The lack of blood aids in his comatose state and the head injury didn't help. His fever from the infection has broken however. Now it is only a matter of time as to when he wakes and how extensive the mental damages to his brain are."

Elia had thanked the Maester and stepped into the room to find Ellaria who was blowing out the candle as the early morning rays of the sun crept into the room from the balcony.

The guest chambers Jaime had been put in were on the eastern side of the palace overlooking the sea and had a nice breeze blowing through the floor-length curtains that separated the balcony from the room.

Ellaria looked up from her task and gave Elia a bright smile upon seeing her and she hurried over to embrace her.

"Words cannot express how happy I am to see you," she said softly and Elia smiled at her brother's paramour. Ellaria was no doubt a deadly woman whose skill and knowledge with potions were not to be refuted but Elia had become good friends with the woman since she had been here for the last few years.

In those few years, Oberyn had brought home two bastard daughters, one from Volantis and one from right here in Dorne but Ellaria had never cared that those daughters didn't come from her. She had given Oberyn a daughter soon after however, Tyene Sand and the three girls had become great playmates running about the Water Gardens.

No doubt her children would soon join them.

"I am very glad to be home Ellaria," Elia replied returning the hug. "The last few weeks have been harrowing for me and the twins. But we have come through it alive and are not stronger for it."

"I should say so," Ellaria commented before casting her eyes towards the knight that was lying in the bed.

"How is he?" Elia asked.

"Stable," Ellaria sighed. "It was lucky you got here when you did otherwise the poison might have gone all the way through his hand and we would have been forced to remove it instead of just the two fingers. As it was, I am amazed we have only had to remove the two and not anymore."

"I can thank the gods for that," Elia muttered. "Even two fingers off of Jaime's sword hand will be a blow to him."

Ellaria frowned at her slightly at the informal use of the knight's name. "It's not my place to ask Elia but….what is your relation to Ser Jaime, beyond the fact that he served you as a member of the Kingsguard?"

Elia narrowed her eyes at her brother's paramour. "The only relation to be had is the one you just uttered. Why do you ask?"

Ellaria looked at her carefully. "Because when he fell into a fevered sleep because of the infection, he said something in it. The maester didn't hear it thank the gods…but I did."

This was most strange. "Well, what did he say?"

Ellaria looked even more cautious at this point, an emotion Elia had never seen on the normally confident and virile woman. "He said….He said you name."

Elia just stared at her. "What?"

To her undying embarrassment, she could feel her cheeks beginning to heat and thanked the gods for her olive complexion and that the room was still dim from the rising sun. She cast her eyes towards the blonde who was lying on the bed, wishing to all the gods that she was able to see into his head in that moment and know what he had been thinking when he said that foolishness.

"He did?" she asked somewhat faintly.

"Aye, he did," Ellaria concurred, looking at the princess's face carefully as if to find some mental chink in her cautiously constructed façade. "Why would he have said that Elia?"

Rhaegar's widow narrowed her eyes slightly at her brother's paramour. "Are you accusing me of something Ellaria?"

"I would not presume so much. But it is obvious at least from this that this knight feels something for you beyond a mere loyalty to the royal family which you were a part of."

Ellaria cast her eyes back to Jaime lying asleep on the bed and a small smirk decorated her beautiful face. She had the sultry dark good looks of a woman who was the epitome of confidence and danger.

Elia could see why Oberyn liked her.

"It's not like I would blame you if you were tempted to stray," she said. "He is quite stunning isn't he? They say that Rhaegar Targaryen was the most beautiful man in the Seven Kingdoms but Ser Jaime is every inch the golden lion. I can see any number of women in the realm wishing to be on their backs for him."

Elia bristled slightly at the thought of that. An odd burning sensation filled her chest that she did not understand and with an effort she pushed it back.

Ellaria continued. "But, in my humble opinion there is only one woman he would want. After all it wasn't just any woman's name that he called out."

She couldn't deal with this right now. They had barely been back in Dorne a day and Jaime was still in medical danger, the last thing she needed to hear was the knowledge that he had called her name in his fevered dreams.

Her name.

No one else's.

And so Elia ignored the fluttering her in her heart that this knowledge gave her and instead turned to something she did know how to do. Lie.

"I don't know why he would say my name," she said calmly. "We were on the road for many days and it was deeply stressful and anxiety inducing. Perhaps in his dreams we were still on the road and still being threatened."

Ellaria looked at her for a long time and the princess could tell that the poison mistress didn't believe a word of what she said.

But she had the decency not to call her on it and simply nodded. "Very well."

Elia took the opportunity to quickly change the subject. "Do you have any idea of when he will awaken?"

Ellaria shook her head. "Not yet. He has not moved positions since the fever broke but he might awaken at any time. It depends on how extensive the blow he took to his head was. Maester Myles I am sure told you that head injuries are tricky and I have seen men in the past who have fallen into a deep sleep after sustaining a blow awaken days later. But I have also seen men who have brushed off such blows only to drop dead."

Cold tendrils of fear worked their way up and down Elia's spine but she fought to keep such reactions from her face.

"So in other words we need to wait?"

"We need to wait."

She took a deep breath. "Very well. Thank you Ellaria."

The other woman nodded before slipping out of the room and leaving the Dornish princess alone with the blonde knight who was still lying motionless in the bed.

Elia looked at him for a moment before going softly across the room and dragging one of the chairs by the writing desk in the corner over to the bed.

From this vantage point it appeared as if Ser Jaime was merely sleeping. His chest was rising and falling slightly as he breathed in and out. He had been stripped to the waist and she could see the thick bandage wrapped around his shoulder where he had received the deep stab wound from the blade of the thief earlier. His hand was bandaged also and she could not see any of the fingers poking through it, it merely looked like a large white lump among the sheets.

I would imagine that this is what snow looks like, she thought to herself absently as she looked at it.

She cast her eyes over the rest of his form and grimaced quietly to herself when she remembered Ellaria's words. That woman had a way of getting straight to the damn point just like her brother and it was annoying as her brother itself.

But it wasn't as if she didn't understand the sentiment. Ser Jaime was beautiful to behold even while suffering from injuries and bandaged and missing two fingers. Rhaegar had been a beautiful man, but he was all the marble complexities of an angel without anyone knowing his mind or heart. She had been in love with a statue.

If she were to compare the two men, Elia would say they possessed a very different sort of outward beauty.

But where Rhaegar was cold Jaime was warm, a warmth that she had seen throughout the last four years in the capital where he had protected her and tried to shelter her from the worst parts of King Aerys madness. He had made her smile and think about things other than her insane good father, her husband's indifference and her own homesickness. Aside from Rhaella he had been her only friend and she would be damned if she lost him now.

Elia hesitated but a moment before leaning forward and taking the lump of bandages that was the knight's hand.

"My brother's right you know," she whispered. "This isn't the end. You brought me this far and now you need to come with me the rest of the way. It's going to be a new beginning I promise, for you….and for me. But you need to wake up so you can experience it."

Jaime did not stir and she sighed before leaning back in her chair. She should go find the twins soon. The last time she had seen them was when they had broken their fast in the nursery together and Rhaenys had quietly asked her when they were going to see Ser Jaime.

She had done her best to explain to them that he wasn't feeling well and was sleeping to which Aegon demanded when he was going to wake up so that they could play.

Her son had an imperious nature that in many ways reminded her of Oberyn, gods help them both.

But both the twins cared a great deal about Jaime and this was plain to see when they all but demanded to see him.

"They're very fond of this knight aren't they?" Mellario had asked to her in an aside when the twins were once more preoccupied with Arianne and Quentyn.

"Yes," Elia said with a smile. "Ser Jaime was really the only member of the Kingsguard who paid much attention to them."

"What about their father?" Mellario asked and Elia did her best not to bristle at the mention of his name. It was over, he was dead and his indifference would never hurt her or her children again. "Rhaegar wasn't much for playing."

She would go to see to them in a moment and perhaps bring them here to see Jaime.

Aegon seemed to have adjusted to Dorne quite well and had been laughing and playing with Arianne and Quentyn, the stress of their weeks long journey no more affecting him than rain would affect afternoon play.

However it was Rhaenys she was concerned about. Her daughter had been very quiet and had hardly smiled since they had arrived, preferring to sit quietly and watch her brother and cousins play.

The only time she had seen Rhaenys smile was when Quentyn had splashed Arianne with water from the fountain in the Water Gardens and they had both fallen into it laughing.

Since then, no grin had found its way onto her sweet face.

Elia had a few ideas of how to bring it back however. One of Rhaenys' favorite friends in the capital besides her brother and Ser Jaime had been her black cat Balerion. It had a slightly torn ear and was a rather mangy sort of cat but it had been fiercely protective of Rhaenys and they had been forced to leave him behind when they had fled the capital.

The princess knew her daughter missed him and was looking into several idea for getting her daughter another one. It wouldn't be the same as Balerion but perhaps it would make her smile again.

She glanced back down at Jaime and curled her fingers more tightly around the lump of bandages that was Jaime's hand.

"I hope you know that you have turned Dorne on its head Jaime," she murmured. "I can tell Doran is scheming already and the fact that he now has the heir to the Westerlands in Sunspear is not something that happens every day. He is going to make the most of your presence when he wakes up. And the fact that you now cannot return to Casterly Rock as your father has presumed you dead is something he is going to take advantage of. I simply felt I should warn you."

That was a bit of an understatement, she could practically see the wheels turning in Doran's mind at the possibilities of Jaime's presence and how this was going to benefit the Dornish caused.

Elia knew for a fact that her brother had already begun scheming for ways to tear down the Usurper from Aegon's throne. Now that all the remaining Targaryens save Rhaegar and Aerys had escaped Westeros relatively unscathed they might be able to move ahead with their plans to do just that.

Other than her family, her faith in the Seven was the one thing Elia counted on and she made a mental note to go to the sept in Sunspear soon so she could offer up a prayer of gratitude for their arrival in Sunspear and to plead once more to the Mother for Jaime's life.

She was now more convinced that he would pull through after Ellaria and the maester had seen him but until he opened his eyes and spoke to her, there would always be a tiny bit of doubt in her mind.

She glanced up at the face of the knight and wondered what was going on behind his eyes. He appeared very peaceful and she grimaced, knowing this would have been the first time in the last few weeks when he would have had the opportunity to truly rest. He had stayed up until all hours of the night guarding them and would only catch an hour or two just before dawn. His eyes had appeared like red embers of burning coals in his face at time and Elia winced, knowing that he had pushed himself to his physical limits for them….for her…

But in my humble opinion there is only one woman he would want….after all it wasn't just any woman's name that he called out….

Elia jerked slightly and then shook herself. She couldn't focus on that right now, no matter how the words made her heart flutter or her cheeks heat. Besides, she was convinced he must have been dreaming when he had said the word.

He couldn't…He couldn't mean what she thought, what maybe she secretly hoped he might mean.

When had this become so complicated?

She leaned back in her chair, sighing deeply but still keeping a hold of Jaime's bandaged hand. This was information that she didn't need right now, not when she was still dealing with the aftermath of the war, her uncle's death, Rhaegar's betrayal and the knowledge that she was finally safe.

She glanced back at Jaime then. "You said you made a promise. But was that really all there was? You've gone above and beyond the duty of a Kingsguard and a part of me cannot help but wonder…why? Do you take your oaths that seriously….or is it something more?"

Elia didn't finish this quiet line of thought as she was scared to follow where it led and what the answers might be.

Instead, she simply focused on holding Jaime's hand, humming quietly to herself. It was a lullaby she had sung to Rhaenys when she was younger and had had a nightmare, something her own mother had sung to her.

There were times when she deeply missed Meria Martell. If I had another daughter than I would certainly wish to name her Meria. I always thought it was a beautiful name.

But my children have the names of their father's ancestors. If Rhaegar had lived and not run off with the Stark girl, then the next child I might have had with him would have been named Visenya. And then there would have been his thrice damned prophecy! He wanted the conquerors come again and the only reward for his efforts has been his own death.

It was well deserved in her opinion and then felt a stab of guilt. No matter what he had done, Rhaegar had still given her the twins and that was something that could not be overlooked. She could not imagine her life without them and he had been the one to give them to her.

Despite everything that had happened that one thing remained true.

How can I love Queen Rhaella but hate her son? Elia thought to herself. Besides Jaime my good mother was the only bright spot about my time in the capital. And she is now safe but in Essos where she will be able to recover from this war and her husband's madness. I miss her…I didn't realize how much until now.

She glanced out the window and faintly heard the ocean in the distance, the gentle roar of the waves as they slammed into the shore and the steady breeze brushed the curtains on the windows of the room away, affording her a better view of the sea beyond.

Gods but it was good to be home.

Just then there was a knock on the door breaking into her solitary thoughts.

"Come," Elia called softly.

To her pleased surprise, the door opened to reveal Mellario holding Aegon's hand in her left and Rhaenys' in her right.

"I hope I'm not interrupting," her good sister said softly as she cast her eyes upon the scene before her, Jaime in the bed and Elia sitting by his side.

Elia immediately took her hand away from Jaime's bandaged one and smiled at her although she had a feeling that it was a bit forced. She also had a feeling that Mellario had seen their position but had tactfully said nothing.

"Not at all," she replied.

"They were asking for you," her good sister replied. "Arianne, Quentyn and Trystane have fallen asleep after some time of play, but Aegon and Rhaenys could not stop asking for Ser Jaime."

Elia smiled at them ignoring the stab of guilt she felt for not being with her children every second of the day and held out her hands. "Come here sweetlings."

Immediately, the twins' let go of Mellario's hands and ran over to her.

"Mama, we played in the fountain!" Aegon exclaimed and Elia smiled at him. "You did? Did you have a good time?"

He nodded. "But then Ari pushed Quent and he fell into the water and the servants took him away. That was when auntie Mel said it was time to go inside."

Elia cast an amused glance up at her good sister who rolled her eyes in response. "That girl is going to be the death of me. When will she learn that her brother is not a toy."

"I thought it was funny," Rhaenys said quietly.

Elia chuckled. "Don't chide her too harshly Mellario, siblings are like that. Oberyn and I would get into the worst sorts of trouble when we were younger as well."

"Ah, its just as well that Trystane wasn't there," the other woman replied. "He would not doubt be shrieking to join them. Anything his brother and sister do he wants to do as well."

"My mother often told me that Oberyn and I were like that as well," Elia replied. "We are closer in age than Doran and so have always had a more affectionate relationship. Everything he wanted to do, I wanted to do as well."

Mellario cast an eye over the blonde who was lying in the bed then and gave an odd little half smile. "So this is Ser Jaime Lannister."

"It is."

Mellario's eyes lingered on the knight for just long enough that Elia wanted to squirm. "I must say the even laid up he is stunning. The image of the Lannister lion."

Elia didn't dare agree with her however even though privately she did so. No one needed to know her thoughts on that matter.

Thankfully the twins spoke up then and saved her from a possibly embarrassing encounter. "Is Jaime awake yet Mama?"

"Not yet sweetling," Elia said to Rhaenys gently who was eying the bed Jaime was lying on as if she wanted to climb up on top of it.

"When will he be awake?" Aegon demanded. "We want to play?'

"Did Ser Jaime entertain the prince and princess a lot in King's Landing?" Mellario questioned curiously.

"Not exactly," Elia said giving her children a fond smile as the two of them walked over to the bed and stood looking at Jaime. "He was responsible for going after them when they wandered off. Because he wasn't as cold and distant with them as he was the rest of the Kingsguard, they grew to like him."

"I see," Mellario said but like her husband, Elia got the feeling that she was seeing far more than she was letting on. "I should go and check on the children. Are you alright here?"

"I am."

"Good. We will speak again soon."

The moment her good sister had departed from the room, Elia breathed out a sigh of relief and turned back to the bed.

She was both surprised and concerned to see that the twins had climbed up onto the bed and were sitting on either side of Jaime looking at his sleeping face.

"What's this Mama?" Rhaenys asked pointing to the bandage wrapped around Jaime's hand.

"It's a bandage sweetling," Elia explained. "Ser Jaime hurt his hand and this bandage is going to help heal it."

"And what about this?" Aegon asked pointing to his shoulder.

"The same thing."

"I want Jaime to wake up Mama," Rhaenys said in a small voice, her lower lip trembling slightly."

Elia sighed and then sent up another prayer I know sweetling, so do I. So do I."

Sometime later, awareness slowly crept back into Elia's mind and she realized with a jolt that she had fallen asleep at the side of Jaime's bed.

She cast a quick glance over to the knight and noticed in disappointment that he had barely moved a muscle. A moment later she smiled for it appeared that Aegon and

Rhaenys had fallen asleep on either side of him, faces tucked part ways into the blanket.

They obviously feel comfortable enough with him in order to do this, she marveled to herself. Or else they are simply extremely tired. Perhaps it's a bit of both.

She looked down and realized she had fallen asleep holding his hand and slowly let go.

After taking a moment to look around and note the position of the sun and that it was obviously midday, Elia got to her feet.

Immediately her stomach protested and she glanced down at herself in amusement. Apparently keeping vigil at someone's bedside is enough to make one work up an appetite.

She stretched the muscles in her shoulders that had become stiff from lying in the chair for an hour and exhaled deeply.

I'll call for the servant to bring something for myself and the twins and then come back, she thought to herself. I don't know when they'll be awake and I don't want to leave them alone for too long.

Just as she got to the door however, the sound of distant loud voices met her ears and it appeared that someone was shouting.

What in the name of the Seven Hells is going on? She thought to herself.

Elia pressed her ear to the door and listened for a moment before the tone of the person's voice broke into her consciousness and she reeled back in surprise.

"Oberyn," she whispered.

That was the only word that was uttered before she jerked the door open and was running down the corridor as fast as she could, skirts pulled up above her ankles so as not to trip her up.

The wind in the hall whistled past her ears and a servant stopped to stare but Elia couldn't care less.

The voice of Doran suddenly spoke from further down the hall. "Brother you need to calm yourself."

At this point, Elia quickly came around the corner and stood at the back of the hall and the entrance to the throne room where she was elated to see her brother standing there before the throne pacing back and forth like a caged animal.

His yellow tunic and bronzed garments were stained with dust and dirt as if he had traveled for many miles and there was mud on his boots. His dark hair was mused as if from the wind or running his hands through it and his eyes blazed with a fire she had only seen a few times in her life.

Doran was sitting calmly and passively on his throne, his hands resting at the sides of it as he listened to his brother. He was the only one to notice her slip in and a small smile appeared on his face and then disappeared with the blink of an eye.

"Calm myself?! Oberyn roared. "Our sister and her children have been torn apart at the hands of Tywin bloody Lannister and you want me to calm myself?!"

"Yes," Elia said in a strong voice as she stepped further into the throne room and nodded to Doran who nodded back. "Because things are not always as they appear brother."

Oberyn's head whipped around so fast Elia was afraid his neck would snap and almost winced in sympathy.

As her brother took her in standing there, whole and unharmed looking somewhat cross with him, his eyes widened to the point of almost falling out of his head.

"Elia," he breathed as if she were a shade come to torment him.

"Hello Oberyn," she said walking slowly over to him. "As you can see, I am standing before you, blessedly intact and without a wound on me. So you can rest assured that Tywin Lannister has not laid a hand on me, or my children."

"Your…Your children…."

"Are here as well and are currently sleeping," Elia finished for him.

Oberyn seemed almost overcome with emotion at this point and Elia decided to put him out of his misery by wrapping her arms about his neck.
Her brother responded immediately by wrapping his arms around her so tight that she almost couldn't breathe. But she also couldn't complain because she had missed him so much. As much trouble as he got himself into and was in general he had always protected her and the fact that he hadn't been there to do so this time was obviously tearing him apart.

"How?" he whispered in her ear. "How are you alive?"

"Careful planning on the part of a spider in King's Landing," Elia whispered back and felt Oberyn's arms tighten around her for a moment before they loosened slightly.

"What?"

"It's a long story," she said. "But the most important thing is that the twins and I are here and we are safe."

"How?" Oberyn asked finally loosening his grip on her after what seemed to be a very long time.

"Ser Jaime Lannister," Elia said.

Oberyn bristled slightly, eyes narrowing somewhat. "The son of Tywin Lannister?"

Elia felt her resolve harden at the words. Oberyn had borne a grudge against the lions since the way he and Elia had been treated by the man years ago and he had never forgotten it. That grudge had no doubt only been exacerbated by what he thought had happened in King's Landing.

"Yes," she said. "And I will not allow you to judge the son based on the sins of the Father. Ser Jaime is nothing like Lord Tywin and risked life and limb to bring Aegon and

Rhaenys and myself here."

"And where is the lion hearted knight then?" Oberyn said in a somewhat disdainful manner.

It took every ounce of Elia's strength not to roll her eyes or else slap her brother for his foolishness. There were times when he disregarded everything she was saying in favor of his own bullheaded opinions. This was why she enjoyed speaking more with Doran as he was far more level headed.

"He is currently recovering from an infection from a poisoned blade that he had been stabbed with when some thugs on the road tried to steal our horses," Elia snapped. "But you wouldn't know that would you because just as always you barrel into a situation and run your mouth without knowing any of the facts. For the love of all the gods

Oberyn, you bypass the fact that I am standing before you alive and unharmed as are my children and go right to the knowledge that the man responsible for my life is a Lannister. Do you even hear yourself?!"

She paused for breath then and Doran took the opportunity to break in. "As usual our dear sister is correct Oberyn. Would you stop and think for one moment about the ramifications of your actions? Yes Ser Jaime is a Lannister, however he is the only member of the Kingsguard to have fulfilled his oaths to the royal family and brought our sister and her children here. Names and houses are not important anymore, not in light of what has happened."

"And what has happened?" Oberyn asked looking both angry and confused.

"What has happened Oberyn," Elia snapped, "is that to the rest of the realm I have been declared dead and the twins with me. Outside of Sunspear, no one knows I am still alive because Lord Varys had decoys put in place for Aegon Rhaenys and I. After which, Ser Jaime and I were given an escape route from the Red Keep to the Street of Steel and thus escaped the capital and the Lannisters who were burning it down around our ears."

Oberyn stared at his sister for a moment. "So the entire realm believes you to be dead."

"They do."

"And what of Jaime Lannister? I cannot think that the mighty Tywin would take it kindly to having his firstborn son and heir stolen from him."

Elia smirked and cast a glance at Doran who nodded at her. "That is the beauty of it Oberyn. The entire realm believes Jaime dead as well."

Her brother stared at her. "I beg your pardon?"

Quickly, Elia relayed her tale to her brother who appeared to become more and more slack jawed the more she spoke.

When she had finally finished Oberyn looked as surprised and impressed as she had ever seen him. In fact he sported an almost animalistic grin when he thought of the implications.

"And Ser Jaime is still recovering from his wounds?" he asked.

Elia sobered slightly. "He is. He hasn't awakened yet but Ellaria has told me that she and Maester Myles have had to amputate two of his fingers so that the infection wouldn't spread to the rest of his hand prompting him to lose it. They don't know when he will awaken."

Doran nodded soberly. "Houses Targaryen and Martell owe this knight great debt for the risks he went to for the royal family. Gods know where the other members of the Kingsguard were at this time."

"And so what shall we do now brother?" Oberyn asked. He had calmed some after seeing his sister and learning of her flight from the capital.

"Now we wait and watch," the Lord of Sunspear commanded. "The war may be over but the potential threats are still very real. In the coming months time will only tell how well the ruse has been taken by the rest of the realm. Contingent plans for your safety sister will need to be put in place and – "

"My lord!"

Doran looked up from the throne to see Maester Myles hurrying into the room, panting and out of breath. "What is it Myles?"

"You asked me to inform you my lord. Ser Jaime is beginning to stir!"