Defyra

Defyra invited her brother Denys to take a walk in the gardens after breakfast to catch up on each other's lives. There was seldom time for them to talk other than writing each other quick notes that mostly pertained to their stock in the cellar.

"I hear you and Bethany are getting very close," said Defyra.

"I hear that you and the Hound are very cozy," replied Denys.

Defyra sighed happily. "Sandor made his proposal to me last night. I wanted to let you know before I send a raven to Father and Mother."

Denys stopped.

"Finally," he said with a grin. "Frankly, I'm sick of discussing you with him all the time. I am happy for you, Def."

"I hope you didn't tell him anything embarrassing."

"I've only told him the truth. If it's embarrassing to you, it's no fault of mine," said Denys, teasing her.

"I think I shall start telling the good stories to dear Lady Bethany," retorted Defyra. He laughed.

"Then I shall always have a better story to tell your Hound."

She stuck her tongue out at him and he laughed again. She smiled and looped her arm through his as they passed under a row of flowering trees.

"I am happy for you, bro. Bethany is a great friend to me. She's loyal and she has the best sense of humor. Don't hurt her or I'll hurt you."

"You couldn't harm a fly," said Denys, raising a brow at her.

"I'll have Sandor knock you around a little."

"Geez, sis, I'm not going to hurt Bethany. She means so much to me. I want to give her the best in the world."

"You'd better...Looks like we'll be neighbors when the time comes," said Defyra, referring to their uncle's land in Silverhill that Denys would inherit upon knighthood. Currently, the land was being stewarded by a branch family.

"It will be a comfort in knowing that we'll be within a half day's ride from the other," said Denys. "I can't believe that these past few years I've only seen you a handful of times."

"I've missed you, brother." She lightly hugged his arm closer. "We need to visit more while we are still in the same place. And not just business talk." He nodded in agreement.

They came upon a walkway adjacent to the patio where the Royal children were having breakfast with Queen Cersei. Sandor and Jaime stood on either side of their table. Sandor spotted them as they walked up, his stoic demeanor melting as he laid eyes on Defyra. She blew a kiss to him and was amused to see him make a subtle catching motion with his left hand that he held stiffly at his side. Young Myrcella witnessed it all and had abandoned her toast and bacon to look between the two wistfully. Joffrey sneered at her while Tommen swiped her last bacon slice while she was distracted.

"Good morning, Your Graces," said the Redwyne siblings in unison.

"Good morning to you both," said Cersei. "A good handful of the court seems to still be recovering from the festivities of last night."

"It was quite a lively one," commented Denys, laughing lightly.

"It was a blessed Name Day," smiled Defyra. She could see Sandor's eyes reflecting as a lighter brown in the morning sunlight as he gazed at her with subtle affection.

"I'm glad. I'm hoping the best for your future with Lord Clegane," said Cersei, sounding sincere.

"I plan on sending my parents a raven after this to inform them of Sandor's proposal last night," said Defyra, unable to contain her grin. The corners of Sandor's mouth lifted in a near smile.

Myrcella and Cersei had twin expressions of delight. The boys simply looked confused as to why the ladies were reacting in that way.

"I look forward to their visit," said Cersei.

"We're looking forward to seeing them as well," said Denys. "I haven't seen them since I started my squireship."

"Pardon me, but how long have you squired for Ser Barristan?" asked Jaime, who had squired for him as well in his younger days.

"Going on six years, Ser."

"You're nearly there, then," said Jaime, sounding impressed. He started recounting his own knighthood ceremony to the younger man. Beside them, Cersei chided Tommen for stealing from his sister's plate. She then rounded on Joffrey for pulling Myrcella's hair.

Defyra and Sandor were sending looks to one another as conversations strayed elsewhere for a moment. She bit her lip slightly as she smiled at him from under her lashes and in turn, he gave her a smoldering look that sent a tingle to her belly.

"Ready to go, Def?" Denys asked, his brow raised at catching her mid-expression. She quickly pursed her lips and nodded, feigning innocence. They curtsied and bowed before leaving.

"Have a pleasant day, Your Grace."

Ellaria Sand showed up at her chamber door when Defyra had planned to work through lunch on a supply list for the new winery. She swept all of her papers into her desk drawer before standing and inviting her in.

"I'm surprised that you're still in town," said Defyra, pulling out a chair at her table for Ellaria. Ellaria gave a slight laugh as she sat.

"We engaged in many festivities last night. We needed a day to recover. Did you have a good time with your Big Hound?"

"I did. He was still exhausted from the journey and the melee, so I didn't want to completely tire him out." Defyra tried to keep a straight face but ended up smirking anyway.

"I like that you're becoming more cheeky," said Ellaria appreciatively. "You've grown nicely into that Redwyne wit."

"Thank you," said Defyra politely. She narrowed her eyes. "Flattery will get you nowhere." Ellaria giggled.

"I'm just making sure you're in a good mood to agree to dinner with us tonight. We'd like to visit with you and your Big Hound," said Ellaria.

"I'll ask my Hound if his evening is clear, and I'll send a note to your chambers with my answer within an hour or two," said Defyra.

"Thank you, love. I'm looking forward to your answer." Ellaria rose and slunk out, but not before batting her eyelashes over her shoulder.

Sandor and Defyra found themselves sitting across from Oberyn and Ellaria at a patio table off of the gardens. The chicken was their main course (Defyra tipped off Ellaria in her note that it was Sandor's favorite), in addition to a few Dornish delicacies. As Defyra, Oberyn, and Ellaria made small talk, Sandor chose to silently eat his meal, pausing every now and then for a gulp of wine. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that the Dornish woman kept glancing over to watch him, but he kept his eyes either straight down into his plate or glancing at his betrothed as she and Oberyn carried the table's conversation. After a while, he felt a peculiar nudge at his knee and glanced down to see a slender tanned foot toeing towards his inner thigh.

"The fuck?" he spat, glaring at the woman across the table. She smirked in response. Defyra stood, reached over, and shoved Ellaria's foot off of Sandor's lap, her demeanor suddenly seething.

"Don't fuck with me, Ellaria," she hissed, looming over the table. Sandor's brows rose in surprise as he looked over at his betrothed. The way she was glaring at Ellaria, her face flushed and eyes narrowed, made him think of her as a territorial hellcat.

"So vicious!" Ellaria giggled, drawing her foot back to her side of the table. "But it wasn't you that I was trying to fuck with." Oberyn had a smirk of his own as he sat back and watched the shenanigans unfold.

"I'll show you my viciousness if you pull that shit again," spat Defyra. Sandor laid a hand on her arm to calm her, trying not to snort. He couldn't help but feel amused that she would take the bait so easily and react in such a manner.

"You're a little too heated, Sweet Red," he teased. She turned her glare on to him and his breath caught in his chest for a second. She wasn't exactly terrifying, but he did feel like he should be guilty about something when that glare was centered on him.

"Would you like it if she put her foot back where it was?" Defyra hissed through gritted teeth.

"No," said Sandor calmly. He met her gaze and gently tugged her towards him, sitting her on his knee and having her face him. "You're the only woman that I want touching me." Defyra stared wide-eyed at him, her cheeks making a pink hue, all traces of her anger suddenly gone. She was breathless at seeing the desire in his eyes, not even caring that they had an audience. He placed a kiss on her temple. "Now calm down, ya hothead." Her face relaxed but aimed one last look at Ellaria, who winked at her.

"She's so possessive of you," noted Oberyn with an amused smile.

"As I am of her," said Sandor, putting an arm snugly around her waist. She leaned into his chest, feeling lightheaded at his boldness. It was as if he were being influenced by the older couple's free attitudes.

"That looks comfy," said Ellaria. She climbed into Oberyn's lap and they giggled with one another before sharing a kiss.

"I'm sorry for getting carried away," said Defyra after a moment, shifting in Sandor's lap to better face her friends. "But unlike you two, I don't like sharing." She rested a hand on his knee as if to prove a point. She heard his quick intake of breath.

"I'm sorry for teasing you," replied Ellaria, running her hands over Oberyn's. "I just wanted to see how you'd react with someone encroaching on your Big Hound."

"But he didn't bat an eye, my love," said Oberyn. "He's true to her."

"I'd be a damn fool if I wasn't. I wouldn't do anything to hurt her," said Sandor. "But I would act against someone that would." She squeezed his knee, feeling a rush of affection for him.

"That's what we want for our Little Firebird," said Ellaria.

"What kind of a nickname is that?" Sandor grumbled under his breath so only she could hear.

Defyra smiled. She attempted to get up to return to her chair, but Sandor held on to her.

"Just a bit longer," he whispered into her hair. She smiled as she turned back toward him and settled against him comfortably, her hands resting on his shoulders. He kissed along her jawline slowly, making her take a shaky breath. Their lips and tongues danced together in a series of slow kisses that seemed to last for several moments as they got lost in one another, Sandor's large hands splayed along the small of her back to hold her close. Across the table, they were being watched by the other couple. Defyra's face flushed as she finally came back to reality and realized where they were as she heard amused whispers. Sandor smirked at the redness of her face as she turned around meekly and saw both of her friends looking. Such a display was normal for them to watch, but she was still rather modest when it came to displays of affection. Sandor helped her off of his lap and she returned to her chair.

"So Oberyn...how's your wine business?" Defyra asked, internally willing her face to cool down as she settled back into her seat.

"It's prospering very well. There are many that still prefer the dry shit." Oberyn winked.

Sandor made a noise that sounded like a sneer. She grinned.

"Pentos has always been our best customer," continued Oberyn. "An old Lord from there recently traveled to eastern Essos with a few barrels of our finest and now we are getting orders as far as Meereen."

"I've always wanted to see Essos," said Defyra wistfully.

"Perhaps one day we'll go there with a few of our own barrels," said Sandor. "See how the competition holds."

Oberyn chuckled. "I look forward to that day, my friend."

"But you must visit us in Dorne first after your wedding. We'll give you the best hospitality," said Ellaria. "It will be our wedding gift to you."

"We'll take you up on that," said Sandor. Defyra turned, surprised he had even said anything. "We'll have a bit of free time waiting on the Keep to be renovated. Might as well enjoy our time that way." She nodded in agreement.

"You'd like Dorne," she said. "It's quite a change of pace compared to here."

"It would be a nice change of scenery for you two to enjoy yourselves in wedded bliss," assured Oberyn.

They stayed for a while longer with Sandor getting a bit more talkative as more wine was had. Oberyn laughed at his gruff demeanor as they had a long conversation about fighting styles, weapons, and even compared the number of people they've killed and some details of the kill. Oberyn was quite pleased with the tale of the Mountain's demise.

Ellaria and Defyra discussed their families, ideas for the wedding, and what the betrothed couple planned for their future. Children were mentioned and Defyra was suddenly treated to a crash course in Dornish child-rearing. Ellaria started describing the best intimate positions that guaranteed conception in detail, causing Defyra to almost choke on her sip of wine, blushing furiously.

"We'll have to take note of those," grumbled Sandor into her ear, making her turn even redder and swat at him. Oberyn and Ellaria laughed heartily at her bashfulness.

The evening finally came to a close as all of the plates had been cleared and all wine jugs emptied. The ladies hugged each other farewell while the men shook hands.

Sandor escorted her to her chambers, stopping right in front of the door as they turned to one another. She went up on her tiptoes as they kissed goodnight. Just before she turned towards her door, she smirked up at him.

"Goodnight, my Big Hound."

He rolled his eyes.

"Goodnight, my Little Firebird."

She cringed audibly. They shared one last look of amusement before she closed the door.