THE SERPENTESS

Ellaria leaned toward the mirror as she painted her lips a deep ochre. She had to admire the chambers they'd been given in the Red Keep. They were nothing compared to her rooms at the Water Gardens, but then the Dornish set their expectations high. These Crownlanders had a certain elegance she could appreciate, nonetheless.

In the front room, Oberyn was greeting their guests. Ellaria slinked toward them, pausing to watch her beloved fill a cup of wine for the copper-haired girl. Desmera Redwyne sipped from the goblet and smiled. Ellaria was surprised to see a girl used to the Arbor's red water sipping a Dornish red with such ease. Meanwhile, Jaime Lannister hardly touched his own cup.

Oberyn glanced toward the bedroom and noticed Ellaria in the doorway. "Ah, and this beauty is Ellaria Sand, the love of my life and mother to four of my daughters."

"Perfect little angels," Ellaria added with a soft smirk. She and Oberyn shared a conspiratorial look. It was likely the younger girls were terrorizing the Water Gardens as they spoke. Ellaria had almost suggested bringing them to court if only to see the Queen's reaction. One day Ellaria's girls would be as fearsome as the eldest Sand Snakes. If only that thought didn't worry me quite so much.

Desmera looked between Ellaria and Oberyn with a curious look. Ellaria was used to the contempt of northern nobility, but Desmera's look was not full of venom. The copper-haired girl looked almost wistful.

"Well, now that we're all here…" Oberyn began as he took his seat. "Perhaps the two of you can finally enlighten us as to the purpose of this meeting?" The question was directed to the Lannister, but it was the girl who spoke.

"I wish that I weren't meeting you under these circumstances, Prince Oberyn," she said softly. "But I'm afraid I must ask for your help." She glanced at Jaime, and he nodded. "You see, I came to King's Landing under false pretenses, and baring a false name. Most know me as Amina Corrigan, or perhaps Amina Stark."

Ellaria and Oberyn shared a look. Robb Stark's widow, the Queen in the North, presumed dead along with most of her men. The girl—Amina—sat very still, waiting for someone else to speak. "Did you kill Joffrey Baratheon?" Oberyn asked finally.

Amina looked somewhat affronted by the question, but Jaime looked unsurprised. "I did not and neither did Sansa."

Oberyn nodded. "I expected as much, though I would not blame either of you if you had." A dark look passed over Amina's face. Ellaria suspected that a part of the girl wished she had been the one to kill the young king, and not a small part. "However, I don't believe Tywin or Cersei would feel the same way."

Oberyn paused for a sip of wine, his eyes never leaving the girl's. "So you seek safety in Dorne." Amina nodded. "Why Dorne? Why not return to the North or the Riverlands? Surely there are still men loyal to your late husband who would be thrilled to see you alive."

Amina was quiet for a moment. "Those who have not pledged loyalty to Roose Bolton are either dead or under siege. They have their own battles to fight, I won't draw them into another until I'm sure they will survive it."

Oberyn nodded, appraising. "My brother has done his best to keep out of this war." There was a hint of bitterness in his words. "Why should Dorne shelter you now and risk the Lannister's sword?" His eyes slid to Jaime at that.

"Because I want justice for Elia and her children as well," Amina said quietly. Her eyes were cast down toward her wine, as if she could find her words at the bottom of the goblet. "Because I lived when they did not."

Amina folded her hands together and put them in her lap, as if to hide them from shaking. The room was so quiet, Ellaria could hear distant voices in the gardens far below. Amina's eyes slid toward Jaime's and lingered. Ellaria suspected if she looked under the table, she would find him clasping her hand in his.

Finally, Amina nodded and took a deep breath. "My mother was Rhaella Targaryen, and my father was the Mad King. I was spared Rhaenys and Aegon's fate by mere chance. Eddard Stark found me and saved me. For sixteen years I have pretended to be someone whom I am not."

"I have always been told that House Martell were loyal to my family until the end and after. I would hope that that history still holds some weight for Prince Doran. Enough to buy me shelter if nothing else."

Oberyn looked as stricken as Ellaria felt. "I will take you to Dorne after the trial is done," he said with a nod. "Doran will help you; I will see to it."

Ellaria excused herself to the balcony where she watched as Oberyn saw Amina and Jaime to the door. Oberyn took Amina's hand and gave it a small squeeze. "You have your mother's eyes," he said as he let her go.

Oberyn turned back to look at Ellaria, leaning against the railing. "She seems delicate," Ellaria mused. "A pretty thing with sharp edges, but fragile, nonetheless."

"I would not be so quick to underestimate her," Oberyn said, as he joined Ellaria on the balcony. "The callouses on her hands did not come from sewing. The girl can take care of herself."

Ellaria frowned. "Grief can be a dangerous force to reckon with."

Oberyn let out a bitter laugh. "I know a thing or two about that." He placed his hand over Ellaria's on the railing. "The girl is Doran's problem, not ours. We'll see what he can do with her."


Ellaria had taken it upon herself to tailor Amina's new Dornish dresses. It wasn't that she distrusted her own servants, but it paid to be cautious, especially in a lion's den such as King's Landing.

She knelt at the girl's feet, pinning the hem. Amina was a good half foot shorter than Ellaria. That meant she would need to hem at least a dozen gowns before they departed. She had to remind herself that this was her own idea and a necessity, even if Oberyn thought it overly cautious.

"Tell me about the Starks," Ellaria said, to distract herself while she worked. Amina startled, only avoiding a pin to the ankle by Ellaria's quick reflexes. "How did they treat you?"

The girl smiled softly. "Very well, they were as close to parents as I ever knew. Ned found me in an overturned crib– I still have a scar here…" Amina touched the back of her head, just above her neck. "I was so quiet he feared I was dead. Even then I knew how to hide." She sighed. "They waited as long as they could to tell me about my birth. The truth was heavy, they gave me a childhood free of that."

Ellaria hummed as she secured another pin. "You've spent more of your life as a Corrigan than not."

"Sometimes I wish they'd never told me, though I suppose I would have asked questions one day. A true Corrigan wouldn't need to dye their hair to appear Beldish." Amina shifted on her feet, and Ellaria tugged the dress to keep her in place.

"Perhaps if they had been colder to me, all this could have been prevented," Amina mused. "It would have been easier to leave if I'd been treated as a bastard or a prisoner." She frowned and Ellaria knew this was not the first time her thoughts had gone down this past.

Ellaria scoffed. "The Mother herself could have prevented this war. The winds were stirring long before your birth." She finished the hem and stood up, towering above the smaller woman. "In my years I have learned that some things are inevitable, terrible as they may be. And we mere mortals are far more resilient than we seem."

Amina was quiet for a moment. She raised her arms to indicate where the dress pulled around her bust. What she lacked in height she made up in curves and muscle. Ellaria began marking seams to let out.

"Maybe so," Amina said finally, "But I can't help but question every decision I made these past months. I had the warning and still I failed."

"I would hate to know the future," Ellaria said with a sniff. "What is the point? The gods will do what they will, and we will pay the price. Seems too heavy a burden for anyone to bear. No one was meant to know so much."

"It's paralyzing." Amina shook her head. "I don't know how Kaeshai lives with it." Ellaria glanced up at the mention of an unfamiliar name, but the girl fell silent again.

Ellaria finished her work and motioned for Amina to disrobe. Ellaria poured them each a glass of Dornish red, while the girl donned her costume of green and gold. "And what of Jaime Lannister?" Ellaria asked.

Amina took the glass from Ellaria's hand with a questioning look. Either the girl was an exceptional liar, or Ellaria had missed the mark. "He saved me," she said candidly. "I lost everything; I was a shell. I could not see a way through it. Even Margaery and Aylward seemed so distant. But Jaime pushed past all that, he refused to let me dig myself any deeper. I'd given up. He reminded me that I'm far too strong for that."

Amina's voice was soft, but there was a fierceness in the way she spoke. It was as if she were the one protecting the Lannister instead of the other way around.

"Well, it's a good thing your path led you to us. Anyone who can drink a Dornish red as quick as that deserves to see the Water Gardens at least once." Amina looked sheepishly at the cup she'd drained. "Now, go on before anyone thinks to ask after Desmera Redwyne."