Cersei

As the days went by, Cersei constantly tried to imagine a way to get out of this betrothal. But no matter what she thought of, it didn't feel right. If she wanted to see her daughter again, she had to accept it. Maybe she could do something about it as soon as she stood face to face with Oberyn.

Sighing, she sent her handmaiden who had brushed and and braided her hair until now out with a hand movement. The mirror in front of her was big enough for her to see her face, shoulders and upper body. She was wearing a very low-cut dress in a deep red today, golden ornaments glinting on the fabric. Truly, the blood of a lioness ran through her veins. A golden lioness through and trough.

She attempted to imagine herself in Dorne which was not easy considering that she had never been there. But yet, she closed her eyes and envisioned palm trees next to a stunning field of red and blue and yellow flowers, sun-tanned Dornishmen selling spices and people laughing in the sun. When she first met Prince Oberyn, they were only children. He had told her about his homeland, smiling with pride, and made it seem like paradise for her. Since she was a little girl, she had dreamt of freedom. Of being equal to men. In Dorne that was the case from what she had heard.

She remembered Oberyn's face very well, the sharp jawline, the sparkling eyes, the bright smile. It would be understated to say that she had a fascination for him when she was little. He had been different from all the other boys she grew up with, but not in a negative way. He always spoke his mind, no matter the consequences. She doubted that he had changed a lot until now.

A knock at the door jolted Cersei out of her daydreams. Quickly, she smoothed her dress down and cleared her throat. »Come in.«

Admittedly, it was odd. Who would visit her in her private chambers? Father? Extremely unlikely. As he said, for him, the matter was closed.

Jaime came in, not wearing the usual grin on his face she normally saw when they met each other in private. He closed the door and came closer but didn't touch her. She noticed that he hardly even looked at her.

»You're not planning on marrying him, do you?«

He knew it. Of course, how couldn't he? Surely father told him about the 'good news'. She arised and walked over to him, so close that she could feel his breath on her lips. »At the moment, I cannot do anything about it. I have to wait until the time has come.«

Jaime clenched his teeth. »And when would that be? Before or after you have become his lapdog and given birth to his ninth daughter?«

Cersei slapped him. Hard. Hard enough that her hand hurt afterwards. »I will never be anyone's lapdog. And I will never give him a daughter.« She was furious, obviously. How dare he speak to her like that?

Her fury fumed away a bit when she noticed the look in his eyes. There was pain in them, deep pain. And not from the slap she had just given him.

»Your first husband was a drunken fool. Oberyn Martell is something else entirely. How do you think it would be possible for us to stay together?«, Jaime whispered.

Cersei put her hand on the cheek she had slapped just seconds before and stroked it gently. That was enough of an answer.

»It's not possible«, Jaime spoke out the obvious and stepped back. There was a small crack in his voice that made her get goosebumps. Cersei quickly grabbed his hand before he was out of reach.

»Not for the moment, no. But we will be together. We came into this world together and we will leave it together. Myrcella, Joffrey, Tommen and you are all that matters to me.« She was sure that she would find a way out of this... Somehow. After all, she was still her father's daughter.

»And if you don't find a way, I'll kill him. You can't marry a dead man. I'll kill everyone that stands between us.« Now, Jaime was sure of himself again. Cersei heard it in his voice. However, she knew that killing Oberyn Martell wouldn't be easy, even for Jaime. And - as her father said - he would arrange another marriage for her. One way or another, she had to marry.

»And then? Are you going to kill every man father wants me to marry?«

Jaime nodded, as she had expected. »Every man. Without exception. No one will ever be able to tear us apart.« Sometimes, Jaime reminded her more of a child than of grown-up man. He wasn't as naive as he had been when they were younger, but no matter how much she hated to admit it, he was still the stupidest Lannister. It was a shame that Jaime hadn't inherited her father's wits. Tyrion may be a horrible little monster, but at least he had some brains. Not that she would ever admit that openly. It seemed that she got the most from her father, or so she told herself. Being a Lannister filled her with pride. Maybe that was why everyone had continued calling her Cersei Lannister instead of Cersei Baratheon after her marriage. She would never truly belong to another house or another person. She was hers, and hers alone.

Before she could answer anything, Jaime kissed her passionately. Cersei felt how desperate he was. As his tongue entered her mouth, she fought back with hers. Those little fights between them normally ended in sex, but today she wasn't in the mood for it, so she pushed him back. »Not now.«

Jaime looked at her. For a moment, Cersei thought he would try to persuade her or just touch her and kiss her again. But nothing. He simply walked out and left her alone with her cogitations again. Sometimes Cersei wondered wether it was right what Jaime and she did. In their moments of doubt they always referred to the Targaryen. They had kept marrying brother and sister to keep their blood pure for centuries. Nevertheless, they were Lannisters, not Targaryen. When she was absolutely sure Jaime was gone, she poured herself a glass of wine and walked over to the window.

Now that Robert was gone and it could have finally been her time to be free, she had to marry yet another man. Despite everything, she was curious. She heard a lot of rumours about the Red Viper and his ways of killing his enemies with poison on his blade. Sometimes, there was some truth in rumours. Poison was mostly seen as a woman's weapon, but the Dornish had developed a fondness for it, men and women. Nevertheless, Cersei considered the most powerful weapon another one. Or maybe everyone had a special weapon that worked best for him. Hers was between her legs, and she knew perfectly well how to use it. With a strong sip of her wine, she let her gaze wander around the gardens.

Oberyn

Ellaria rushed over to him like a thunderstorm. At first, he didn't even notice it because he had his eyes closed. Various birds chirped and sang their songs in the orange trees while he dangled his feet in the cooling water of one of the water basins. Without a doubt, the Water Gardens were his favorite place in Dorne. No, his favorite place in the world. Here, he found relaxation, peace and quiet and-

»You're not going to marry that wicked little bitch! I thought I knew you better.« Ellaria almost spitted on him. Oberyn opened his eyes and turned around to look at her. Judging from the look on her face, she was more than furious. She had always been incredibly hot-tempered, even more hot-tempered than he was. Surely she had found out about his betrothal to Cersei Lannister not more than a few minutes ago. He had planned to tell her later in the day anyway.

»Don't worry. I'll get rid of her as soon as I have the chance.« That was the only statement that could maybe calm her down, so he took the opportunity to say it.

»And how will you do that? Kill her?« Ellaria crossed her arms. She seemed to be rather satisfied with that thought.

Oberyn slowly began to shake his head. They had to be clever. »Remember, Ellaria. Remember whose daughter she is and then think again. Killing her would start a war. Thousands of innocents would die. And she is not responsible for my sister's death. Her father and his men are.«

Ellaria laughed. It wasn't a warm laugh as usual - it was cold. Cold as ice. »Have you begun to think like Doran? You should think again. Our revenge can't end with the Mountain. We have to crush the Lannisters, once and for all. And if we have to start a war for it, so be it.«

Oberyn knew that she hated the Lannisters more than anything, although she had never met one of them in person. That was going to change in the near future, however. He would not visit Kingslanding without her. Never in a million years. He despised that city, and he despised the people who lived in it. Some of them, at least. Without her, he would hardly be able to stand it. All he desired was to get it over with as quickly as possible. Maybe he wouldn't need to marry Cersei Lannister at all if he killed the Mountain all by himself. That man was incredibly tall with the largest muscles one could imagine, but that also meant he moved slowly. Oberyn, on the other hand, was lean and quick. An advantage in every single combat. Even against the man who killed his sister.

»Elia was my sister.« The strict, serious tone in Oberyn's voice made Ellaria swallow. »Not yours. And I will avenge her the way I want it.« And, by the Old Gods and the New, he was going to do it with blood. Blood and poison. In his dreams, he had already killed the Mountain more than once and in a ton of different ways. Hearing him scream in pain and begging for his life gave him more pleasure than fucking a thousand whores. For a monster like him, the poison that he usually used wasn't strong enough. He needed something more cruel. Something that would make him suffer as much as it was possible for a human being. He owed Elia and her children that.

Ellaria lifted her chin and seemed to look through his soul and know his thoughts, as always. »Fine. Then I'll come with you to that boy's wedding. Let them see that we belong together. Tywin Lannister, the imp... Even your beloved Cersei.«

Oberyn looked at her and sighed. »I don't love her.« His hand stroked her chin in a loving gesture. »You know that.«

Ellaria placed her hand on his. Her touch was warm and intimate. »You met her when you were younger, didn't you?«

He nodded. »I did.« A long, long time ago, shortly after the dead of Lord Tywin's wife, Joanna Lannister. It felt as if that had been in another life. That was the simple truth. Why should he deny it? Being honest with each other was one of the things that kept his relationship with Ellaria the way it was. Full of passion and understanding.

»Was she beautiful?« She didn't sound angry anymore, rather amused. With that question, she started off a storm of memories in Oberyn's head. He thought he had forgotten the way she looked like a long time ago already, but as he noticed now, he hadn't.

»She was.« Oh, and how beautiful she had been with her hair shimmering like liquid gold and her emerald green eyes. She still was the most beautiful woman in the Seven Kingdoms, they said. All this years, the memory had never truly faded. The thought that she would one day be his had made him happy somehow...while he still was a little boy. As for today, he didn't know. He valued his freedom more than anything. A marriage would limit that freedom in one way or another. And he loved his paramour, of course.

Now Ellaria laughed at him, even more amused.

»Didn't know you fancy pale, arrogant women who hate you.«

That made Oberyn grin. »I fancy women who know what they want and what they don't. That's why you were so appealing to me right from the beginning.« The Dornish prince grabbed Ellaria's waist and pulled her even closer to him. »Let's show them the Dornish way. Our way.« Before he could finish his words, Ellaria pushed him into the water, grinned and jumped after him with a big splash.

That's it for now!

In the next chapter, they're finally going to meet.

Please tell me your thoughts in the comments if you want :)