Disclaimer: I do not own Game of Thrones or anything related. It belongs to George R.R. Martin, the creator of this wonderful universe and David Benioff and D. B. Weiss who created the show.
Chapter Twenty-Three: Complications.
Amara could not help but be aware of the looks that she received once she entered the hall, her recovery had been a slow one but she was most grateful for the fact that she had recovered and that she was no longer confined to her rooms. It felt strange to return after all that had occurred, there was no doubt that many people knew about what Ellaria had done and her banishment would have spread quickly.
The fact that Elia had been sent off to Fairmarsh was also something that would not have gone unnoticed; she had been one of Amara's ladies and now she would serve what was considered a lesser House. Amara had not thought that things would escalate to where they had, she had never thought that it would be Elia that would make the move to end her life on Ellaria's behalf.
The entire situation had left Amara even more unsure about where she stood in regards to Oberyn, he had cared for her and insisted that she needed no one but himself while she recovered from what had happened. They had talked about simple things at first and Amara had found herself on edge whenever she found herself revealing something personal to him; her talk of her childhood made her long for happier days in her own marriage.
"Dearest sister. It pleases me to see you well again," Doran greeted with a kind smile, there was no ignoring how nervous she looked and he did not blame her after what had happened. It would take time for her to truly recover from her ills, she had suffered quite a bit and Doran doubted that her poisoning was the only thing that plagued her mind.
Offering a nod of her head, Amara's eyes scanned the hall unsure who she was seeking out; she had been attended to by her ladies but it was Herit that remained absent. Oberyn had been the one to inform her that Herit had been sent to make sure that Elia settled into her new role at Fairmarsh with ease; his daughter would no doubt be causing Lord Ammett and his wife some issues.
There was also no sign of her husband, not that Amara counted that as a bad thing; instead she found it rather refreshing considering his sudden attentive nature. It had left Amara feeling rather confused about how to play this, she did not wish to welcome him so easily after the humiliation that she had suffered at his hands; she could not forget that he had spent their wedding night with another.
Pausing Amara's eyes caught with Ka, her mind taking a moment to catch up with her body as she walked through the crowds and slipped from the hall on the guise of getting some fresh air. Even outside Amara did not stop moving, she knew her every move would be watched and she wished to escape that for now; she didn't need to glance back to know that he was following her nor did she care about being seen anymore.
Only when she decided that they were hidden enough from the hall and anyone that may accidentally stumble across them did she stop walking. She turned to see Ka and found herself unable to decide what she wished to say to him, it had been so long since she had last seen him; she knew that his absence had something to do with Oberyn.
"I feared the whore has succeeded," Ka whispered moving to cup Amara's face, his dark eyes searching her face in hopes that she would understand just how he felt about her. He couldn't stop replaying that moment in his mind, the moment when she had begun to choke and his legs had frozen to the spot; how he had been denied his chance to see her because her husband was there.
"I wanted to come to you but the Prince forbid it, he insisted that he and the Sandsnakes were all the protection that you needed," Ka spat shaking his head not wanting to believe that they could protect her better than he could. Not when the Prince had ignored her at first, scorned her in favour of the woman that had nearly led to the death of Amara; now he seemed to wish to be her husband but it was too late, Ka wasn't going to back down without a fight.
"I shall not give you up," Ka insisted brushing his thumbs against her cheeks, it was a dangerous path that they were walking and he knew that there would be obstacles but he cared not. It was because of Oberyn that she had nearly been murdered by Ellaria, the man had messed up and Ka would take advantage of that.
Opening and closing her mouth, Amara could not find any words to speak and she stared into Ka's dark eyes; his words and there intensity making her stomach turn wondering if she truly wished to go down this path. Did she really wish to cuckold her husband after what had happened, she had seen what happened with jealous lovers and a part of her felt even more unsure now that she was finding her feet with Oberyn.
Things had not been perfect and she was certainly not going to fall at his feet now that Ellaria had gone; the scandal alone was something that she did not even want to consider. All of Oberyn's bastards had at least been born before she had married him, she could not imagine how she would have handled such a shame and slight from her husband if he'd fathered a bastard while married to her.
"Ka…" Amara began not even sure what she would say to him, however she did not get to say another word before they were interrupted. She took a step back from Ka as Loreza rushed into view with a large smile on her face, the little girl obviously not realising just what she had walked into; she rushed to Amara and offered up the flower that she had picked for her.
"I picked this for you," Loreza stated sweetly, her brown eyes staring up innocently at Amara making her melt slightly and she ducked down to take the flower from her. Amara smiled down at the little girl who she couldn't help but adore her and wondered how Ellaria didn't seem to care what became of her younger daughter. Loreza and Dorea remained in Amara's care despite the fact that their mother and sister had been banished from court; she could not imagine how confusing this must be for them and vowed to spend more time with them.
"Thank you, it's beautiful," Amara told her, she brushed her fingers through Loreza's wild hair and couldn't imagine what her own child might look like one day; she moved to peer up at Ka to try to imagine a blend of him and her. Instead of the heart-warming look that she had expected to see upon Ka's face from her interaction with Loreza; Amara was taking aback by the look of hatred that he had on his face for Oberyn's youngest daughter. Her stomach dropped slightly at the look on his face, she could only imagine why he would look at a seven-year-old in such a way; she wasn't guilty of her mother's crimes nor did she have anything to do with what had happened to Amara.
"We should be and pick some more," Amara stated standing straight and taking Loreza's hand, she stared at Ka who seemed to snap out of glaring at the little girl to look at her; a deep frown set upon his face at the fact that they had been interrupted. Taking a step back away from him, Amara didn't break eye contact for a moment before she turned and started to walk away with Loreza.
She had to decide between Oberyn and Ka and she had a feeling that whatever way she choose that things were only going to get more complicated; she doubted that either one would take choosing the other well. Watching Amara as she walked away with Oberyn's spawn, Ka couldn't help but feel a great dislike for the man and his offspring; it should not be put upon Amara to raise them when their whore of a mother should be doing it.
Shaking his head, Ka moved to return to the palace only to find himself suddenly being knocked to the floor after something was swept under his feet. He blinked confused for a second before he came face to face with Obara, the woman pointing her spear at him; he scolded back at her knowing that she had been the one that sent her sister to interrupt his talk with Amara.
"What do you think my father will do to you should he learn of your desires for his wife?" Obara asked him, she didn't allow him to move from the floor and raised an eyebrow wondering if the guard was truly that stupid. She and her sisters had seen him with Amara, they'd heard his declarations and they weren't going to let him think his actions had not been noticed.
Ka was a fool if he thought for a moment that Oberyn would allow him to steal his wife, he would not be cuckold and he would gut any man that thought he could do that to him. Obara had been right to keep a close eye on Amara, she understood the woman's want to get even especially given how she had been treated but there was a doubt there that stopped her.
"He'll do nothing… he can have any whore that he wants and she will not be it," Ka replied flinching as his words irked Obara and she drove her spear into the ground beside his head; a smile on his face once he realised that he had gotten under her skin.
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