As weeks went by, the eldest sand snake seemed to get used to Lyanna's presence. She would allow her to watch when she trained with Areo and, from time to time, she would even accept her advice, even if the she-wolf was sure that the young girl didn't like getting critics from anyone and only accepted them when she had no other choice but to do so. Nymeria would demand Lyanna to go riding with her and, before bed, the northerner would tell Tyene bedtime stories.

She had received news from the North, telling her that Brandon was to marry Catelyn Tully before her next name day, which meant that before the year's end Lyanna would have to travel to Riverrun to witness the event. Her brother didn't sound very happy about it and Lyanna, who hadn't liked Catelyn Tully at all, had decided to attend the wedding to be with her family, even if she didn't like the bride. Ned's letters had been more cheerful but Lyanna wasn't sure he was telling her everything that was going on back home. It was probably Benjen who told her the whole truth, saying that he missed her and that he hated being alone in Winterfell. She had made sure to remind him that he was not alone and to dissuade him of his crazy ideas about joining the Night's Watch.

As she walked down to Doran's solar to join him and the rest of the Martells for breakfast, she wondered when she had become that used to her new family. Maybe it had been after Oberyn and she had started to spend more time together, especially since Tyene had made Lyanna join her history lessons saying that she needed to know more things about Dorne. She could have said no, pleading that she already knew everything that she needed to know thanks to the books that Elia and Ashara had gifted her, but there was no easy way to deny something to the little girl when she stared at Lyanna with those big blue eyes of hers. And Oberyn liked to make fun of her, mostly because some of the words that Tyene, Arianne and Nym used, even if Nymeria also tended to speak in High Valyrian, for it was her mother's tongue, and some of the curses he also used, were old rhoynish, and her northerner accent was not made for such things. She had revenged herself on Oberyn by beating him on horseback, and he had laughed about her no more, on the contrary, he had made sure to help her learn, and now the Stark was able to curse in rhoynish, much to Doran's amusement. In return, she had told Oberyn all the stories that she knew about the Kings of Winter, finding out that the dornish prince was as much as an avid learner as his youngest daughter, and had help him learn a poem in the Old Tongue which words he didn't understand but was eager to learn.

Mellario, Doran, who had Arianne sitting on his lap, and Oberyn were already sitting at the table. Her sister-in-law smiled at her when she walked in and sat next to Oberyn. Looking down at the britches she was wearing and smiling at the red on her cheeks, Oberyn laughed.

"So, that's why you left so early"

"Winter wanted to go out" she shook her shoulders "and I love to see the sunrise as I ride next to the shore"

"Don't tell Nym that you left without her or we'll never hear the end of it" Doran warned her with a kind smile and, almost like she had been summoned, the sand snake walked into the solar with Tyene by her hand, and quickly sat next to her aunt.

The little princess jumped down from her father's lap to join her cousins at the table and a servant had to put cushions on Tyene and Arianne's chairs because they wouldn't reach the table. Mellario offered to feed her daughter, but the princess refused, wanting to eat on her own as Tyene did, claiming that she was old enough to do so, making Nymeria laugh.

Obara rarely had breakfast with them, even though she did join Lyanna and Oberyn on her father's solar more than once for lunch, and even if the she-wolf hadn't wanted to ask the young woman why that was, she was sure she could guess it, especially after having witnessed that the oldest sand snake treated Arianne differently than she treated everyone else. Lyanna hadn't discussed it with Oberyn, but Mellario had told her about the day the youngest prince of Dorne had gone to claim his daughter, the story having been told to her by her husband, and the Stark had almost hated her husband for taking a daughter away from her mother, until she had asked Obara about it.

"He didn't take me" the girl had assured her "I wanted to leave. There was no place for me with my mother. My place is here"

She hadn't quite understood what Obara had meant, but knowing that the little warrior didn't miss her mother as Lyanna thought she might and that she wanted nothing more than to live there with her father and sisters had soothed her.

After they were done eating, Oberyn took Nym and Tyene to take her classes, knowing that Nymeria would surely skip them if she was not watched, and Lyanna went to change herself into new britches and one of Oberyn's shirts, that she tied to her waist with a leather belt, and then walked back to Doran's solar. She was sure she looked more like a stable girl, or maybe even a high bastard, instead of a princess, but her brother-in-law had never cared.

"I told you I was in no need of your assistance today, little wolf" Doran smiled at her from behind his desk as she sat in front of him.

"And I told you that I have nothing better to do" she replied and the ruling prince of Dorne handed her a couple of papers.

Lyanna smiled down at the numbers written on them. She had been helping Doran with accounts and state matters for almost a month, ever since she had met and envoy from the Great Bank of Braavos who claimed that Prince Doran's mother had owed them a debt that was now Doran's responsibility and needed to be paid. The prince had been troubled, unsure of why his mother might have asked for a loan from the braavosi, and the she-wolf had one day found him staring at the pools and looking through some of the dornish accounts on one of the palace's balconies. Having, as she had, helped her father rule Winterfell since she was old enough to understand what the duties of a lady were, she had offered to help, and barely a couple of days later the matter with the braavosi was settled. Lyanna had made sure to tell Doran as soon as she found out that the numbers were not entirely correct and it had turned out the debt hadn't been as huge as the bankers had told them. In the end, the loan was returned and the braavosi had left and Doran had offered Lyanna a seat on his council. Oberyn had laughed upon hearing the news.

"I knew you had it in you" he had told Lyanna and Doran had said that shall anything happen to him or Mellario he believed Lyanna would be the perfect candidate to rule as regent until Arianne came of age. The Stark didn't know if it had been a joke, but Oberyn had made a face at his brother and Doran had seemed too serious for his statement to not be true, and yet she hoped that it wasn't, knowing that helping a prince with bank accounts and grain and supply distribution was nothing compared to ruling a kingdom.

By the she was done helping Doran, the sun was going down, and when she walked out of the palace Mellario told her that Oberyn had gone to ride with Nymeria, so she decided to sit by the pools and enjoy the sun while she watched Tyene and Arianne play with some of the other children. Maiah, the girl who served Lyanna and Lyanna alone and who had become a good friend to the princess, came looking for her not long after, her face troubled.

"There's a woman on the entrance of the garden's" the hazel eyed girl told her as Lyanna stood up from the floor "She was asking for Prince Oberyn and when the guards told her that he was away she asked to see his wife. She said she was in a hurry"

The she-wolf frowned.

"Thank you, Maiah, you may retire" she smiled at the servant and then made her way to the entrance of the Water Gardens, not sure of what she was going to find.

Outside the gardens, with two guards preventing her from walking inside by keeping their spears crossed in front of her, was a tall woman. She was giving Lyanna her back at first, but the princess took notice of her clothes. She wore long bright blue britches that had been patched here and there with different types of textures of different colours and her boots ended in a curved tip. When the woman turned around he smiled at Lyanna even if she looked unsure and mistrusting. Her skin was the darkest the she-wolf had ever seen and her hair was cut so short that Lyanna could see her scalp. The Stark couldn't stop noticing that the woman had different daggers concealed around her leather vest. She held a baby in her arms.

"I asked to speak to Prince Oberyn" she said with a strong accent "or to his wife. I hear he is married, yes?"

"He is. I am Lyanna Stark, Oberyn's wife" Lyanna answered and she made a gesture for the guards to let her through "How may I be of help?" she asked when the woman walked closer to her.

"I am the captain of the Feathered Kiss" the woman introduced herself "This" she gestured at the babe who was asleep on her arms "is Sarella"

Lyanna nodded, looking at the little girl, understanding perfectly what the woman implied, and smiling when the baby moved in her sleep and made a funny face.

"She is Oberyn's" the Stark stated and the woman nodded.

"My ship is not a place for a child" she informed "I cannot take care of her. It would be too dangerous" and added, almost like she was trying to excuse herself "Oberyn has more daughters"

"He does" Lyanna agreed "How old is she?"

The woman looked down at her daughter.

"She will be a year old on a moon's turn"

"Oberyn is not here right now" Lyanna told her after a moment of silence "If you wait for him…"

"I can't. My crew is waiting and we must set sail soon. It would be dangerous for us to stay much longer"

The woman was a pirate, not that Lyanna was surprised, her clothes and posture had given her away, and a pirate's company seemed fit for the youngest prince of Dorne. And yet the Stark wasn't sure if she could take Sarella in without Oberyn's agreement, even if she felt that it would be unjust to send her away when the rest of her sisters lived there.

"Give her to me" she said after a moment of doubt, and took the babe in her arms. Sarella moved, but didn't awake or cry.

"Thank you" the captain smiled at her "This act shows me you have honour, Princess Lyanna. I will not forget this day and my ship shall be at your service if you ever are in need"

"Won't she ask about you when she grows up? Will you come to visit?"

Dark eyes met Lyanna's grey ones and the princess could see that the older woman doubted but, after a moment, she shook her head.

"I cannot" she stated "I know she will be taken care of"

The she-wolf took a deep breath, looking at the baby in her arms and wondering what she had just done, but then turned to the captain again.

"You have my word on that"

"I must leave" she started walking backwards "Thank you again, princess"

Lyanna stood there, staring at the woman as she walked away from the garden's door and to the horse that was waiting for her outside, waiting for her to turn around to look at her daughter one last time, but she didn't and, noticing the scrutinizing gaze of the guards who were still close to her, she turned around, moving Sarella on her arms so she'd be more comfortable, and walked back to the castle. The first person she met was Doran, who walked to her in silence, his dark eyes going from her to the baby, almost demanding an answer to an unasked question.

"A woman came" Lyanna simply said "She is Oberyn's"

Doran nodded and asked to pick the girl up. The moment Lyanna put Sarella into his hands, the babe started crying but, as they made their way to Lyanna's solar, Doran rocked her on his arms and by the time they entered the princess' chambers she was quiet again.

"Do you think he'll be angry?" Lyanna asked him "Because I took her in without discussing it with him first"

The prince looked at her with a frown decorating his features, wondering if Lyanna didn't see that there was no way Oberyn would feel offended by such a selfless act of kindness and realizing once more that Elia had been beyond right in assuming that this young northerner girl would do well at Dorne and, most importantly, would do well with their little brother. Any other lady would have pushed away Oberyn's children, both for not being their own and for being bastards, which would have resulted on a surely disastrous relationship with Oberyn, for his brother had little tolerance for those who messed with his family. Instead, Lyanna had welcomed them, knowing that they were part of her new family, and Doran had seen that the girls, especially the little ones, liked her and enjoyed her company, which, even if his brother hadn't said it out loud, made Oberyn really happy, even if the she-wolf and the red-viper behaved more like good friends than like husband and wife. But welcoming this little babe on her home proved that Lyanna had no issue with the life Oberyn had lived before meeting her, and showed Doran that she had a biggest heart than he had expected.

"That'd be impossible, little wolf" he smiled at her, wondering if she would never stop surprising him. After a moment of silence he noted "We must find her a wet nurse"

"A wet nurse? Why?" Oberyn's voice came from the door and Lyanna turned to look at him, only to find his eyes open wide at the sight of the baby that Doran held between his arms "And…who might that be?"

Lyanna smiled at him, almost delighted by the surprise on his face.

"The captain of the Feathered Kiss came looking for you. She said she couldn't take care of the child"

Oberyn raised an eyebrow at her.

"And you took the babe?"

She struggled with the words for a moment.

"I shouldn't have?"

The prince shook his head moving his hand to cup her cheek and bent to kiss her forehead before moving to take the child from his brother's arms. Sarella complained again and gave a little cry.

"Hush, little one" Oberyn told her before turning to Lyanna "Did her mother give her a name?"

"Sarella"

"Sarella Sand it is, then" the viper laughed "Who is going to tell the girls?"

"Their oaf of a father, of course" his brother answered, moving to tap his shoulder, and Lyanna couldn't stop laughing at the look on Oberyn's face upon hearing his brother's insult.