I own absolutely nothing but my OCs and ideas. You know, the stuff that's not on the show/books.

Marina

As soon as Oberyn closed the door she leaned up against it, taking in a deep breath and closing her eyes as she tried to remember. The scene that played in her head seemed like a nightmare, one like she had never had before. She saw splashes of blood and heard screaming, a gunshot and the sight of her father's body falling limply to the floor. If she thought hard enough she could still smell the blood that had splattered all over her as she screamed while his head was blown. So much blood... She opened her eyes quickly at that, gasping for air and sinking to the floor, hugging her knees to her chest and trying to control her heavy breathing, realizing she was failing as soon as the first sob raked through her body.

She couldn't hold them back anymore, and once they started coming out, it was as if a floodgate had been opened, letting her tears run freely then, with no shame or pride. It was not the time. She couldn't control the myriad of thoughts that raced through her head. What would happen to her little sister Laura? Would Ms. Guajardo next door just take her in once she realized Mari and her father didn't come back in time for dinner to free her from babysitting? What had happened to their bodies? Who found them? Would that make her mother come back and finally take responsibility for one of her children? What about Ale, he was in UCSD, how would he hear the news all the way from there? Would her friends mourn her? And Cam, he had asked her to Homecoming just weeks ago. She had so much to live, to look forward to, it made her chest heavy. She knew she had died, she remembered dying, what she didn't think about was an afterlife. Would her old life still even exist? Did people go on like she never existed?. It was all too much, too soon, and she didn't know what to do anymore, so she cried, screamed, tried to control the rolling panic attacks stronger than she had ever had before.

Marina didn't remember the maids coming in and taking her to the bath. She didn't remember them bathing her, putting her in fresh clothes and leaving dinner for her before she went to bed, she just cried. She cried until there were no more tears left in her body until her energy was fully spent and the meals started piling up at the small bedside table. It felt like days later, when Oberyn came to check up on her and found her still on the bed, her face gaunt and her eyes red as she stared at the wall. She knew she had lost a lot of weight since she had come, from both the trip and now, refusing to eat more than a few bites; she could feel her skin near hugging her bones, but he said nothing about it. He didn't know her before either, he didn't see her at her best, he would have nothing to compare to her worst.

She left the bed dip, even if she didn't sit up to acknowledge his presence. She felt a friendly hand rest on her knee, and it felt like an eternity before he spoke up. "I lost my sister and her children. Well, you probably know that already. Elia..." he stopped, a sad smile on his lips. She looked up at that, nodding in confirmation of his theory. "She was beautiful, much like you, but more delicate, I'd say." he laughed lightly. "A proper princess in every way. She was full of light, and The Mountain ripped her away from me. She was not much older than you, I imagine you're about eight and ten, correct?" She nodded again, sniffling and correcting him as she sat up, her head light.

"Yeah, I'm seventeen. I know what happened to her, and I'm so sorry for your loss, no one deserves this. I wish I could get over it all, but… it's not just my father. It's me, it's the people who were left behind. My little sister… She's four, and my mother… well, she isn't there. It's the uncertainty that kills me."

"I didn't know, I'm sorry. May I ask what happened to your mother?"

"No. It doesn't matter, nothing happened to her, she happened to us" She answered bitterly, now sitting closer to him on the bed and locking her fingers on her lap. She got quiet again, before sighing deeply. "I thought it just ended, you know? I think continuing is worse. I would rather just be dead"

"You don't mean that" He accused, resting his hand now on top of hers, making her look up at him sadly.

"You're right, I don't, but I… I don't know why this is happening."

"Think of it as a second chance, you can make things right with us. It won't ever be the same, but we should make the best out of a bad situation, shouldn't we? He said, smiling at her and making her let out a small chuckle.

"I guess. I don't want to cry anymore, but it will take me a while to get better"

"I understand, take your time" He assured. "In the meantime, I'll be here for you, we all will, for as long as you need.". She nodded, saying a quick 'thank you' before he got up, stopping as soon as he reached the door and turning back to her. "You know, a good first step is getting out of bed. Try to remember them fondly, not think of the consequences. None of this is your fault" she nodded, smiling slightly at him before he left, and so she did. She got out of bed, with some effort and very little strength, and opened the curtains and the windows for the first time since she got in the room, letting the bright moonlight in, calling one of the servants in the hall to take the old meals away and bring her a new one, sighing and running a hand through her hair. "Papi would kill me, wasting all this food" she chuckled.

After another long bath and once Mari was dressed in new clothes fitting the dornish style, she could finally get some information on what was going on. Who dies and wakes up inside their favorite fictional universe? She had not anticipated being this hungry. With all this amazing food, she imagined that it wouldn't take her long to get back to her original weight, having had two full plates of food tonight alone. Her muscles felt like jelly after spending almost a week in a coma without any nutrition and exercise whatsoever, and the past few days, her grief had prevented her from stomaching barely any food.

After she finished eating, she tried taking her platter back to the kitchen. She didn't grow up having any maid, and would not start having one now even if she had been too focused on herself the past few days. Walking the halls in the dark felt different, as if the reality of her situation was finally sinking in, watching the stone walls of the huge castle. She did her best to explore, having absolutely no idea where the kitchen was, and stumbling in a ballroom, a dining hall, the library and few random locked rooms. She had been walking along the hall, distracted by the intricate tapestry on the walls when she lost her balance and ended up on the floor, drawing a small snicker from an observing girl before she came to Marina's aid. "Are you alright, my lady?" She said in a softly laced accent, Marina looking up from her position on the floor.

The young woman was about her age, give or take a year or two, with fair skin seeming uncharacteristic of Dorne, pale blue, nearly lavender eyes and platinum blonde hair worthy of a Targaryen that cascaded down full breasts that were making Mari grow jealous with every passing second.

"Huh? Yeah, I just um.. Felt like lying down for a bit, you know?" She said, the awkward smile drawing a small laugh from the servant, making Mari frown. "So, um… are you gonna help me up?" She asked when she realized she was unable to do it by herself, the girl's laugh halting before she lifted Mari up.

"I'm sorry my lady, I-"

"No, it's ok" She said, a tone of curiosity taking over the frustration that was still present. "What's your name?"

The girl hesitated before answering, her voice now smaller. "Shiera".

"Like Shiera Seastar! That's a pretty name" She smiled, the girl's tension easing a little as she looked at the shorter "lady" in front of her "Where are you from?"

"My mother is from Lys, but I was born here in Dorne. Will you punish me for laughing?" She asked.

"Nope. I'd congratulate you for the balls, actually. You remind me of my best friend, she always laughed when people fell, but I'm sorry if I scared you, I swear I'm not one of those soccer moms that will call your manager" , her language making the lysine girl's eyes widen, Mari in turn bursting into laughter. "I'm sorry. I'm Marina".

"I know, I was sent by prince Oberyn to care for your needs"

"Oh great. Right now I need to find the kitchen. Help a girl out?" Marina lifted her platter, making Shiera smile and offering to take it for her, to which she answered with a confident "No, I got it. I'll be living here, I better learn". Shiera then gestured for her to follow along.

Oberyn

"No I don't need to learn how to ride, it's fine. I can walk places" She said, making him laugh. They were walking the stable, her fidgeting nervously as she looked at the multiple horses around them.

The rules and common knowledge of Dorne had been incessantly imposed onto her over the last week, and the girl had been now swiftly walking through weaponry training and table manners alike. He guessed she would know at least some of the information, as they all seemed to, and she would occasionally ask questions about the Starks, Arryns, Lannister and about the people like her that had come to Westeros, proving his point. He explained that as long as she was here, she would not be mistreated, instead taken care of as one as their own, to receive a station as his ward, and the honorary title of a Martell herself.

Once she got better, started putting on some of the weight she had most likely lost and looked healthier and more confident, he felt like he could see her for who she really was. He had enough daughters of his own blood, but she felt like one of his in a different way. Sometimes he would look at her and see the image of Elia, and feel, even for a brief second, as if his little sister was back. He had been growing incredibly fond of the girl, and he could tell his brother Doran felt the same way.

"There is no way you are walking anywhere far. I thought you said you planned on going to Winterfell? Come, there is nothing to be afraid of. Usually we would train a horse to adapt to its owner as it grew, but we don't have 5 years to wait for a foal to grow into a stallion"

"But the big ones will bite my hand off"

"No they will not." He laughed. "Here, meet Sol. She is one of our best and easiest horses, I feel you will get along just fine. Start small, try to get acquainted with her"

"How do I do that? Thy don't talk, it's not like I can start there"

"Neither do dogs. You can start by not being afraid to touch her" he rolled his eyes, leaning against the wooden pillar of the place. As he watched her grumble.

"I never had a dog either. Fine, I'll try. Where should I…"

"The bridge of the nose, they like that. Stroke it gently until you feel he is less nervous"

The midnight black mare in front of her exuded power. She was smaller than some of the other horses, but as a sand steed, also faster and fiercer, being able to ride for days on end. He explained that she should do her best to get the mare to trust her, going on walks with her and making sure she always had enough food and water, giving her a carrot and gesturing for her to give it to the mare.

He watched her smile as Sol took the carrot gracefully, letting out a small snort of appreciation and feeling the girl relax. "Good, very good. Now you can mount her" he said, breaking her out of her trance and lifting her up into the saddle, laughing at the expression of terror on her face. "Oh come on, weren't you the one to always try new things?"

"Yes, you're right, I shouldn't be nervous, It's not like she'll hurt me". She smiled at him, watching him smirk mischievously before he nodded, slapping the horse's behind and watching her go off in a gallop, Marina yelping in surprise and holding onto the reins for dear life. He laughed as he watched her disappear into the open desert, the mare raising dust at her fast speed, and shook his head proudly.

Marina

She could not believe he had done that to her! She felt her heart leap as soon as the horse was urged forward, holding on with her legs and her hands on the reins so she wouldn't fall, before she was able to calm down. Once she was used to the speed, she opened her eyes, feeling the wind in her hair and watching the world around her whirl and go by faster. She smiled at the feeling, the smell of the ocean, and relaxed, correcting her posture and laughing at herself. How could she have been scared of this? It felt amazing, she felt free, light and careless. She tried then what she had read about, being able to command the horse back to the stables to watch Oberyn clapping in approval.

"That was really good for the first time. Sol is trained to know the way back, but your next lesson is learning how to guide her, control where she goes and her speed. If she has it her way, she will be galloping at full throttle all day. Come" he said, helping her back down.

She jumped into his arms then, hugging him tightly with a big smile on her face, murmuring a "Thank you for making me take risks again" and feeling him hug her back.

Oberyn

They were currently talking about her title, with her in the bath hidden by a room divider while he sat on her bed comfortably, leaning back on the multiple plush pillows. He had come to her room to tell her to get ready for dinner, since they would be sitting down with his family to discuss her role with the Martells and her allegiances, and he thought it better to discuss the topic in private with her, since they were closer than anyone else in the castle. Normally the situation would have made ladies blush - having a man in their room while they bathed - but both their customs said differently, and as long as she was covered, she said, no harm would be done. He was like a father to her.

"And the price?" She was quick to question, making him chuckle, bringing him back into reality.

"Smart girl"

"You should stop antagonizing me if you want an alliance. You know that, right? Not all girls take well to it - and wow I already sound like one of you, awesome" She thought out loud, drawing a laugh from him.

"By the looks of it, not quite yet. The 'price', if you will, would be you acting as part of our house for good and bad, protecting our best interest and aiding us with any information that might be useful in the future".

"So you want me to be a part of House Martell? And you're telling me that now when I've been eating your food and bathing in front of you just so I can't say no?" He laughed loudly.

"If you wish to put it like that, yes. You will not need to pretend to be anything else, you can express your cultures and likings and opinions as you have, of course, but your alliance will be to us. Specifically, to me".

"Yes my lord" She laughed, pausing before continuing, her voice now lower "You could've asked for revenge against Tywin Lannister directly, you know" She added lightheartedly, making him tense on the spot. He was quick to answer, although his voice was now devoid of any trace of the humor that had danced along with his sentences.

"I don't know what you're talking about"

"Yes you do. It's fine, it goes in favor of my best interests as well. I have a few conditions to add, though"

"Be my guest" He said, his voice back to its usual playful tone, even if serious. He recognized some nerve in the girl, if she was making demands already.

"I want no harm to come to the Starks or Daenerys Targaryen. If everything follows as I think it will, then we're in the brink of a war. The Starks will fight the Lannisters, and if you're smart, you will side with the Starks to bring those blond bitches down once and for all. Except for Tyrion, he's cool"

"You want all of my brother's bannermen to travel to the North?" He asked with a mixture of surprise and amusement, the sound of water signifying that the girl had risen from the bath, stepping out later with her long hair wet and a long robe securely wrapped around her body, the maid having come and went with a dress appropriate for Dornish fashion that would fit her.

"Yes. Well no, not all of them and not now of course, but a few if it comes to it, and a bit of money to travel and gather enough strength to fight from the outside as well. I can maybe get you the Dothraki, and then bring Dany to reign instead"

"The Targaryen girl with a Dothraki horde. Why would I want her on the throne? Why do you?"

"Because she'll be a good ruler" She answered simply, with such certainty that he was nearly convinced there and then. "I'm sure of it. She'll bring back the peace and it will be much better than that psycho Joffrey" She said, spitting out the name as if it was poison, making him laugh.

"I like you, you're amusing. I'll speak to my brother about it, although I could get used to you coming directly to me for these things" He agreed, standing up and walking to sit on a nearby chair as the girl sat on the bed, combing through her hair and drying it as much as she could, knowing the warm weather would do the rest. It was like that that Shiera found them, and the prince excused himself long enough for the girl to get dressed before waltzing back in, nodding in approval at her dress.

The garments were divided in two, with the top hugging her torso in brown snakeskin and reaching her midriff, completely displaying the curve of her waist, paired with a loose, orange skirt that parted from her hips and was complete with golden accents to match her Lengi earrings and the set of three golden necklaces she always wore. One with a red, anatomical heart resting at the same length her breasts began to curve, another, about an inch higher, with her nickname 'Mar' and the third resting at her throat with a small sphere of a white glowing stone which she had said to be opal, the golden chains twinkling in the light against her skin. The outfit was enough to leave any man breathless, and it made him smile to see her putting in the effort to dress up for a family event.

"Do you like it? Shiera made it for me" she said, smiling fondly at her friend who looked proudly at the dress. "She'll be just as amazing of a seamstress as her mother".

"I have no doubt about it." he said kindly to the fair colored girl, smiling at both of them before walking her to dinner. "Now, are we clear on the rules of our agreement? We will be going over it all with my brother tonight. The kingdom expects a title for you. The difference between Princess Marina Martell and Lady Marina Batista are quite big".

"I know. I'm ready, it's a second chance, right? I gotta make the best out of it, make sure to show where my loyalties lie, to everybody"

"Good. I'm happy to welcome you to the family, princess" He said, smiling at her, to which she returned, laying her head on his arm as they walked to the large dining hall.

Shiera

The girls had been closer than ever. Shiera still served under her, but the girl's independence in comparison to the other ladies in Westeros had left both of them with little to do, giving them time to learn from each other, go out often and have fun as equals - something Shiera adored about her new friend. Marina was adapting quickly enough, although her accent still stuck out quite a bit - apparently not something they could change - and whenever flustered she would still resort to the foul language she was used to and let out a few sentences in her foreign tongue.

In the moons that had gone by, the Princess was now back to exercising and eating healthily, training with Oberyn's other daughters. Marina had explained that her father had made her start training when she was about twelve and started walking to and fro by herself, although all of it was done using her body as a weapon. She stayed away from swords seeing as her small frame could not handle the weight of a longsword, but she was getting quite good at handling knives instead. Marina had also been getting much better at riding, now having enough trust with her mare for the horse to come when called.

When she was not training, she was doing her best to explore the castle and the bustling life around it, going to markets, talking to the people and watching the children play in the ocean.

She had also been ordering dresses to be made - some in dornish fashion, others similar to what she would wear on a daily basis back home but longer, and some trousers and blouses, mixing in traditional dornish influences to the design, none of which gave Shiera any trouble. The feeling that came with helping her make the most beautiful and different gowns was exhilarating, and she took notes for her later dresses until she started creating them by herself, Mari always seeming pleased with the results.

Her friend had asked for some clothes made for travels farther North - which she planned to go on soon enough to be able to meet the Starks - and although those seemed to be the hardest to sow due to the thickness of the fabric, She still managed to make the clothing suit the girl's style and complement her figure the best she could.

They had been sitting on her bed, with Shiera braiding her hair when she brought up the topic. "Tell me about your home, Mar" Shiera asked using the nickname on her necklace that she had recently adopted. She coud not see her, but she could tell the question made the Princess uncomfortable. She was about to tel her it wasnt necessary, when she started.

"Well...I have family from Cuba and I think some place white aside from the US - maybe The Netherlands, I don't know, but I was born in Puerto Rico, and my father is from there too so I speak Spanish fluently as a first language and I will say some words once in a while as you have noticed. I was raised from like eight to nearly seventeen in Miami, so it is just as much of a home, I suppose" She began, stopping to ask which one she wanted to hear about first, being met with the latter.

"Well, Miami is… to start, it's on the southeast coast of Florida, which is a peninsula if you know what that is, bathed by beautiful beaches with white sand and turquoise water and shitty people, where it's always warm and has more foreigners than actual American citizens. If you think about it, that's great since we're constantly exposed to so many different cultures, and it has I think the highest population of latinos - which are people like me, that come from places in latin america- in the country. It's very populous and a major city when it comes to trade, commerce and entertainment".

"Um let's see… It's not a monarchy, America in general is not, and there are no slaves or servants or any of that bullshit even though there is a hierarchy in most workforces - yes, everybody works. Most streets are clean, so is the water and it's very fertile and green but people don't really use it to grow crops in the middle of the city. Most of the people are mixed race - coloring, as you would say - or just white old men that go there to retire. Or tourists, lots and lots of Brazilian tourists. That's all I can tell you right now, I can't really think of anything else" She finished with a shrug, looking back at her pensive face with a small smile. "What?"

"You match the place you're at. You're strong and passionate. Stubborn, admittedly, and too defensive, but with good survival skills and an exotic, Rhoynish-looking beauty for the descendents of the Andals and the First Men" She outlined, the girl looking at Shiera strangely before muttering a "You got all that from 'beautiful beaches and shitty people?' Thanks, but the color of my skin doesn't make me exotic", making her laugh again. "Your curves as well"

"What curves? I have no boobs whatsoever"

"Yes you do, they're simply…"

"Half of the size of yours"

"But you have quite a big behind" She stated matter of factly, now making Mari laugh out loud in agreement.

"Yes, I'm sure my big ass will win over someone's heart someday"

"If it doesn't, that boy is the stupidest that has ever lived. And the other?"

"Yes, Puerto Rico. It's so hard to describe it in just a few words, it's such a culturally rich country filled with pride, passion and this light-hearted feeling that prevails on the people even with the infamous dick-tators. I mean, of course they suffer, but I feel like latinos are so strong that they can withstand it, most people that come from Cuba or Venezuela or anywhere really, to America just want a better life. It's an island with beaches thousands of times better than Miami's and filled with music and laughter and the smell of the ocean breeze wherever you go, almost as if it's carried by the warm people and so common it becomes part of our skin. Also we tend to dance a lot and the culture is much too different for me to even begin to explain so easily. That's what I remember, anyways. It was always a happy place for me. I used to live in Fajardo and we would always go to the islands near it, mostly Icacos. It's so close that you can see it from the mainland if you look hard enough. I remember me and my primos would always go play there, swim in the ocean and collect all the seashells and little fruits we could find" She said, her voice elevating with such passion for her country, the thought alone seeming like paradise.

"You must show me some day" She said softly, earning a sad smile and a nod from Mari.

"If I'm ever there again, I'll be sure to take you with me".

That night, Marina was the one to enter her chambers, knocking as she was brushing her hair, her face marked with worry before she spoke up. "Shiera… Jon Arryn's dead. We leave in the morning for King's Landing." She looked up and sighed deeply, gnawing on her bottom lip with worry. "It's started".

So… Shiera's name was originally Meera, until I remembered Meera Reed (idk how I could be stupid enough to forget). For those of you who don't know the legend, do some research on Shiera Seastar, she was one of the Targaryen bastards and - according to some conspiracy theories, Quaithe. I'm a die hard fan but I've read the books a little while ago and am now refreshing myself on the TV show so that I can write this. I hope you guys are enjoying it! So far not a lot has changed, but my writing is definitely much better than it was when I was… 16? 18? Idek. Enjoy! I love you guys.

Bela