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Chapter Fourteen: The Sand Snakes.
Staring down at the request that had been delivered to her, Amara wasn't sure what to make of it; she hadn't been expecting it after her talk with Doran about Oberyn's two youngest girls. Amara had never thought that Oberyn would agree to her request of his younger daughters being brought back to court and a governess being appointed to him; to be chosen by his wife of course.
She could only imagine how Ellaria had taken it when he had told her of the arrangements that were being made for her children; she was sure that Ellaria had thrown a fit when she had been told. Amara turned her attention back to the request that had been sent, she leant back in her chair and considered her options knowing that this Ellaria's retaliation.
"What do you know of them?" Amara asked turning to look at Iset, she knew that she had spent a couple of years at court and she would know more about Oberyn's daughters than Herit. Iset had found herself becoming one of Amara's more favoured ladies, she was often by Amara's side now only second to Herit who had served Amara the longest.
"Elia and Obella are the older daughters of Ellaria by your husband while Tyene is the daughter of a septa by your husband," Iset informed her, she knew that this wasn't going to be easy especially since she had already found a governess for the two younger daughters. Amara was silent for a moment, it didn't surprised her that her husband had managed to sleep with a septa; she was sure he was very persuasive when he wanted to be.
"They are loyal to their mother then," Amara guessed knowing just what she could expect, a letter had been sent by the girls requesting that they had been taken into the service of their lady step-mother to learn the ways of court. However, even Amara knew that this was a pretence to spy on her and report back to Ellaria so that she knew every move that she made.
"How old are they?" Amara asked knowing she would need to plan this carefully, she knew that the older girls had yet to become and issue but she had five to handle right now and she was doing her best. Dorea and Loreza had been set up with a governess and would start their lessons as soon as they arrived; she was sure that her actions would lead them to see her in a different light.
"Elia is fifteen… Obella is thirteen and Tyene is twenty-four," Iset answered recalling the ages of the girls, she was sure that they would be here with the intent of helping Ellaria remove Amara. The time since Amara had arrived had been interesting and there was finally life back in the court after many years that they had been in mourning.
Amara nodded her head before she reached for some paper so she could send a reply, an idea in her head hoping that this would work; she would play Ellaria at her own game here and win. Obella would join her younger sisters with the governess, she was a little too young in Amara's mind to serve as one of her ladies plus she would have her two sisters to contend with.
Tyene and Elia would join her ladies, she would play this game and show them that she wasn't the enemy that Ellaria had made her out to be. There was no doubts that soon she would also have to deal with the older girls, it had surprised Amara that in the time that she had been married that they had not been around the palace.
Obara, Nymeria and Sarella would make their appearance soon especially now their sisters were involved in the game between the two women that wanted Oberyn Martell's undivided attention.
"Allow me to introduce Tyene and Elia Sand, Your Grace," Herit said approaching Amara from behind, she offered a glance at the girls beside her not sure what to make of them. They certainly weren't what they had been expecting when Amara had made the decision to allow them to enter her household; she could only imagine what her mistress had planned this time.
Turning from the book that she had been reading, Amara took in the two girls that were to enter her household; she swallowed suddenly hoping that she had made the right decision. Tyene was not what Amara expected, she clearly favoured her mother in her looks instead of her father like her sisters had done; she wore a simple white dress that made her look innocent and younger in her years. Then there was Elia, she reminded Amara of her namesake aunt and had her father's eyes; she looked like she'd come from rolling around in the hay down at the stables.
"It is a pleasure to finally meet you both," Amara greeted, a kind smile on her face as she got to her feet; her book was set down on the table as she moved over to them. It was hard to believe that Oberyn had so many children and she had yet to meet them all; she was certain that there would be even more surprises as time went on.
"As it is to meet you Lady Step-Mother," Tyene replied curtsying to Amara, she nudged Elia who followed her action; she had talked to her sister about what would be expected of them. However, it seemed her words had fallen on deaf ears and Tyene could only hope that Elia would behave; she eyed Amara recalling what their youngest sisters had said about her.
It had greatly pleased Tyene to hear that Amara had done what Ellaria had done not; she had feared her younger half-sisters would be completely uneducated if left with their mother. The fact that they had been blessed with their new position was a good sign and Tyene knew that no woman would normally want to see their husband's bastards.
"Dorea and Loreza had spoken of you fondly, they are ever grateful that you hired a governess for them," Tyene continued when it became clear that Elia had no intention of speaking, she glanced at her sister only imaging what Ellaria might have said to her. It wouldn't have surprised Tyene if Elia tried to cause trouble; she would have much rather reminded at her grandfather's home than come here.
"If you require anything please don't be afraid to ask," Amara encouraged, she wanted to bond with her step-daughters since she saw no way that she could ignore their presence nor would doing so endear her to anyone. If she was going to keep her marriage and her position then her every move had to be perfectly planned; she would earn their trust and their loyalty sure that Ellaria had only inspired as much because of how long she'd been with Oberyn.
There was no doubt in her mind that the older daughters of Oberyn had probably assumed that Ellaria's time with their father would be as short lived as it had been with their mothers. They had been together for sixteen years now and there had never been a mention of marriage between them; it was different where Amara was concerned since she was Oberyn's wife.
"Thank you, Lady Step-Mother," Tyene said not sure what to make of Amara's offer, she peeked at Elia trying to study her face wondering just what she was thinking. Herit lead the two sisters away to show them, their duties and the room that they would be sharing as Amara's ladies-in-waiting; she didn't trust either of them.
They were likely to be spies of Ellaria and Herit feared for her closest friend and mistress; she had heard whispers about what they were just as capable as their father.
Walking through the gardens, Tyene kept to the shadows as she thought about her day so far; she loved the Water Gardens and it had been awhile since she'd been able to enjoy the beauty of them. It had been a couple of years since she had last been here and she had missed it, she had been traveling with her sisters when news of their father's arranged marriage had reached them.
Of course, it had been disappointing to hear that they were not invited and Tyene held no doubts that the decision had been to not upset his bride even if things were different here compared to the rest of Westeros. Slowing down, Tyene came to a stop as she felt the presence of another approaching her; she didn't turn around already knowing who it was.
"Hello sister," Tyene greeted with a smile, she turned around to see her eldest sister before her; she was surprised how well Obara had managed to avoid detection. She would really have to speak with her dear uncle and inform him of this issue; she could only imagine who might use this to come here and hurt her family some way.
"You are late," Obara replied gruffly, she did not like to be kept waiting especially when she had others things to do; she had hoped that Tyene would remember to meet her on time. It had been hard enough to get into the palace without being detected, the last thing that she wanted was to be caught and her actions being connected to what was happening in the palace.
"I was serving our new Lady Step-Mother… as might I remind you, you suggested that I do," Tyene replied rolling her eyes, she knew why she had entered Amara's household; she had been the only one of her older sisters that wouldn't attract too much attention by doing so. It would seem suspicious if Obara and Nymeria had requested placements; it had been timed to coincide with Elia and Obella requesting placements.
It was important that their plan worked and she knew that they didn't have much time; she could only imagine how long it would be before they were all dragged into this by Ellaria to shift the balance in their direction. Obara didn't reply, they didn't have much time and she knew that the gardens wouldn't stay empty for long; it was too beautiful a day to waste inside.
"No one suspects anything," Obara checked knowing that it was important that this went well, she wouldn't have asked Tyene to do this unless she needed answers on who to trust. The fact that Amara had hired a governess for their younger sisters had attracted their attention and they wanted to know if they could trust their new step-mother or if she was a problem that needed to be removed.
"No. Not even Elia," Tyene replied shaking her head, she hated that their younger sisters had been sent to spy on Amara by Ellaria; it wasn't as if she hadn't notice that there were several House Uller allies in her ladies already. Tyene had to admit that she was rather impressed that Amara seemed to realise that she was surrounded by spies and only trusted few of her ladies.
"I have sent Nymeria to Fairmarsh… let us see who Amara Cantrell really is and who we should be backing when it comes to our father," Obara said, she remembered meeting Ellaria when she had first courted their father's attention. It still surprised her that Ellaria had lasted as long as she had, she couldn't think of another lady that had held Oberyn's attention for so long.
Just wanted to clarify on the Sand Snakes since in the show certain Sand Snakes were merged.
Obara Sand - Daughter of Oberyn via Prostitute from Old Town
Nymeria Sand - Daughter of Oberyn via Noble Woman from Volantis
Tyene Sand - Daughter of Oberyn via Septa
Sarella Sand - Daughter of Oberyn via a Trader Captain from the Southern Isles
Elia Sand - Daughter of Oberyn via Ellaria Sand
Obella Sand - Daughter of Oberyn via Ellaria Sand
Dorea Sand - Daughter of Oberyn via Ellaria Sand
Loreza Sand - Daughter of Oberyn via Ellaria Sand
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