Cersei

Today was the day she would meet Oberyn. Or rather meet him again. He had, in consultation with her father, made the decision to arrive a few days before the wedding. That would give him time to get to know his future wife better. Her. His future wife. This sentence still sounded strange even in her own mind. Somehow... unreal. Wrong. When she thought of Oberyn, she only always saw the little boy from the past in front of her. Now, she would marry that boy. Cersei's father had made that unmistakably clear.

When Cersei opened the wooden door and looked outside, she saw servants scurrying wildly through the keep. Two handmaidens stood nearby, put their heads together and whispered secretly. Cersei had no choice but to listen more carefully.

"The Dornish Prince arrived at King's Landing this morning," whispered the smaller of the two. "Together with his paramour. A scandal. I've heard that the first thing he did was visiting a brothel. You know, Lord Baelish's one. Together with her as well."

The other girl giggled on the quiet. Cersei rolled her eyes. What a childish behavior.

"Have you seen him yet?"

"Yes, very briefly. He is exactly how people say. Tall. Muscular. And his accent..." Again, a quiet giggle filled the hallway.

"Heavenly. His paramour can really count herself lucky." The taller of the two young women sighed.

"And the Queen Regent. Or should I rather say the Lady Cersei? She won't be Queen Regent for much longer anyway." She couldn't see it, but Cersei heard in her voice that the handmaiden had a grin on her lips. "I recently overheard a conversation between Lord Tywin and her. She will marry him. That's probably why he arrived earlier than the other guests. Maybe he wants to try out if the Queen can satisfy him." Now both of them chuckled.

"I'd say it would be more satisfying for him to marry a rat. At least rats don't bite and attack you behind your back."

That was the right time. Cersei lifted her chin and put on her typical sugar-sweet, hypocritical smile. Elegantly, she put one foot in front of the other as if performing a dance. Her footsteps echoed in the keep, causing the two handmaidens to look up in horror.

When Cersei came to a standstill in front of them, they curtseyed with their heads bowed. The Queen Regent did not lose her smile. "What was so important to discuss?"

The two exchanged an anxious glance. "Nothing of importance, your Grace. We only talked about the arrival of Prince Oberyn," one of the two finally took the floor.

"Very well, then.", Cersei purred and managed to make her voice sound like velvet and a whip all at once. That was one of her many talents. Sharp messages wrapped in sweet words. "Everyone loses oneself in gossip sometimes. It's perfectly natural, isn't it?" Her never-fading smile made one of the two girls swallow. Cersei made a short pause. "But sometimes rumors can be dangerous. For both sides. Especially in such times you have to be careful. Curious eyes and ears are everywhere. Isn't that so?"

Both women nodded eagerly and agreed. That they suddenly looked past her with their eyes widened irritated Cersei, but she said nothing about it. Who knows what ghost those stupid young things had imagined behind her. Probably they were frightened by their own shadows as well.

"I see there's some truth to some of the rumors. The famous Cersei Lannister", an amused male voice sounded behind Cersei. Even without turning around, she knew exactly to whom the voice belonged. To the little boy with whom she had scattered salt into the wine and water of the old lords during his visit.

"Prince Oberyn." Cersei made every effort to sound friendly before she turned to him.

Objectively speaking, he was without doubt every young girl's dream. She wondered how many hearts he had already broken with his charming grin and warm glittering, dark eyes. Uninhibited, he approached her while the two girls grasped at the chance and took to their heels. "So... Did you miss me, Mylady? Pardon—it's 'your Grace'. How much longer, again? Two weeks? Three?" He grinned at her.

It seemed as if not only his weapon was covered in poison, but his tongue as well. That vicious bastard. "It has been a long time. And I see that you haven't changed one bit."

"Indeed, it has. And I might say the same about you, your Grace. But that doesn't answer my question."

Cersei sighed. Stubborn as ever. She didn't know him very well, but she doubted that he would normally behave differently. "I had little opportunity to miss you. There are many duties and tasks to be fulfilled in the life of a queen."

"Queen Regent," Oberyn corrected her.

"Yes. Queen Regent. But I was queen for a long time."

"For a time. Long is a relative term. But that's actually how it is with everything in life. We twist and turn it the way we like it. Life is not about pleasing others, but about pleasing ourselves. It is about love. Fun. Passion."

"Whatever you mean." Cersei asked herself if she should understand his words as an indication of the possible betrothal. There was a tangible tension in the air. Nobody dared to get too close to the Queen Regent and the Prince. Anyone who saw them at the end of the corridor quickly walked backwards. It was like fire meeting oil. Wildfire and the burning Dornish sun.

Oberyn looked at her with crossed arms. His intense gaze pierced her. "You don't seem to be convinced yet. Shall I show it to you?"

The lioness frowned. "Show me what?" That only made her counterpart grin again. Apparently he found more and more pleasure in the conversation.

"The proof."

"I'm not interested in any evidence for your words."

"This is not just any evidence."

Cersei pressed her lips together. How could someone be so stubborn? "Well, then show me what proof you're talking about." She could not deny a certain curiosity that flared up deep in her. Not that she would ever admit that to him. On the outside, she kept her cool, deceptive facade which she had perfected over the years.

Without another word, Oberyn offered her his arm which she reluctantly accepted. Even under the fabric of the robe she felt his steel muscles in which the blood pulsated hot like fire. He was warmer than Jaime, or was she mistaken? Was he burning?

When a servant passed by the unlikely couple, he tilted his head hastily, only to stare at them in amazement afterwards. The prince led Cersei to his chambers, closely followed by the guards who ran after the queen like shadows.

"What are you showing me?", Cersei asked as disinterestedly as possible, but Oberyn just smiled again.

"I have it right here. Are you always so impatient? Oh, and could you order your lapdogs out there to wait outside?"

Thereupon, Cersei smiled a fake smile. "Only when I'm alone in the private chambers of someone who wants my family dead." Nevertheless, with a gesture of her hand, she signified that the guards should not follow her any further. After all, Prince Oberyn would not kill her. Not here. He wouldn't dare to. Or would he?

So far, he hadn't made any effort to kill her. Instead, he closed the door and moved towards her with the precision of a predator. Meanwhile, Cersei did not turn her gaze away from him. That would show weakness and there was nothing Cersei Lannister hated more than weakness.

"I suppose you know what your father has in mind for you. For both of us." Cersei nodded.

"Of course." As if anything would happen here without her knowledge.

"I'm really thinking about accepting his offer." The prince leaned loosely against the wall and looked at his fingers as if they were far more interesting than the Queen Regent in front of him. She had no more than a smirk left for his words.

"Prince Oberyn, if you think my father is making offers, you don't know him very well. Tywin Lannister makes no offers. At least none that you can refuse at will. Not even the famous Red Viper."

Cersei could not tell whether her statement amused or annoyed him. He grinned as usual, but his muscles tensed.

She thought he would reply something, but he remained silent for a long time. After a while, he started humming out of nowhere and walked around Cersei. He didn't stop until he stood right behind her. She felt his hot breath in her neck and inevitably got goose bumps.

She wondered what he was up to, but didn't say the question out loud. Admitting a loss of control? Never. She preferred to stand stiff and straight as a die.

"I've never in my life done anything other than what I wanted. And that's exactly how I will continue to do it. This means that I will not accept a betrothal because someone else forces me to, but only because I want to. Can you follow my drift?"

Cersei did not answer his question. "You have a very childlike view of life. How convenient that you are the second born and will never rule."

The Dornishman laughed and shook his head as if he was listening to the nonsense of an infant. Surprised, Cersei raised an eyebrow. What was so amusing about this fact?

"You know nothing, Lannister," he murmured and continued walking around her until he could look her in the eye again.

"I know what I see. A warrior, oh yes." She scrutinized him from head to toe with an examining gaze. "But a ruler? Absolutely not."

"You Lannisters have always been blind." Oberyn left it at this sentence and smoothed out his robe.

"What about the evidence you talked about in so much detail?" Cersei raised an eyebrow again. She had neither the desire nor the time to stand here all day. Quite in contrast to Prince Oberyn, who again took his time to answer.

"I told you, I got it here. Close your eyes."

"That's not—"

"Close your eyes."

To finally get it over with, Cersei closed her eyes and sighed in annoyance. She hated to not be able to see everything that was going on around her. That way, she was practically helpless. Lost. But before she could ask him what in all Seven Hells he was up to, she felt his lips on her neck. Her first instinct was to slap him or push him away. She might as well have him locked up by her guards. But something kept her from doing that. His lips were hot, hot and rough, and his beard stubble scratched her pale skin. He started sucking, biting, sucking again—

Until she made a tiny noise. Like a suffocated groan. Her body had become independent.

Oberyn immediately let go of her. "Life is about passion." He licked his lips. "These are the moments we live for. No soporific war councils and hypocritical conversations."

Cersei swallowed and palmed the burning skin on her neck.

"Have fun hiding that. The warm temperatures are the ideal weather for scarves. You can stay in my chambers for a while and come up with something. Your Grace."

After an elegant bow, the prince opened the door and walked past the guards across the hall. Cersei went over to the mirror in the prince's chambers and looked at herself. Right by the side of her neck there was a large purple hickey.

Let's see what the future holds for our viper and lioness :) The next chapter is gonna focus on Oberyn.
And thank you so much for your comments! I love reading them, they really keep me going.

If you have any wishes for one-shots or other stuff I should do in the future (or simply want to talk), just let me know. I'm always eager to make you happy.