"Who are you?"
Before whoever it was could answer, Satine swiftly swung around, knocking the blade from the woman's hand then they circled each other. The woman held a spear in her hand, holding it confidently which meant that she knew how to use it.
"You strike my father," she growled fiercely at her. "How dare you put your filthy hands on a Martell?!"
"In fairness, he started it."
Satine breathed in the fresh air a little bit as she was hit by it before whirling around and shoving her heel into the woman's foot. While she was hunched over, Satine quickly elbowed her in the gut just as the blade slashed at her barely missing the skin.
The woman charged at her as Satine danced the opposite way. She knew that she could not physically fight this woman since her weapons were taken from her after her abduction. Satine jumped away as the woman kept stabbing the tip of her spear towards her.
"You always dance around a fight," the woman mocked, her accent thick. "What a cowardice lion you really are…I'll take pleasure in killing you."
Once the woman shoved the spear towards her again, Satine's hands shot out to the handle and shoved the other end of the spear into her stomach. Satine quickly ran in the direction of the throne room where she knew other weapons were. She noticed the woman following her as she ran.
Satine caught the sword of a guard, punching him in the face. She whirled around and blocked the spear from stabbing her just in time before it touched her chest. Satine shoved the woman away from her, grunting a little.
The woman laughed. "And here I thought you Westerosi woman were weak and did not know how to handle a weapon. I was told that you were best at stitches and baring offsprings."
"I'm not like most woman and neither are you," Satine replied. "Why are you trying to kill me? Honestly, with the enemies that I have stretching from Braavos to Volantis, I can say that I'm not surprised that you've come for me really."
"You were taught how to fight?"
"Not by Westerosi fashion, but a little a little from them…the rest from all over," she explained.
"Why?"
Satine chuckled. "Because if I know the fashion of one man then I know how to counteract their moves."
"Clever."
"Dornish fighting…Obara, is it? The eldest of the sand snakes?"
Obara smirked. "Glad to know that we make an impression."
"Where are the other seven of you?" She questioned. "You have your father's eyes surprisingly."
"It's just me…for now until the others hear of what you did to our father," Obara informed her.
She scoffed just as Obara strikes her spear towards her again near her lower stomach. "He started it really. Your father should really keep his hands and his wandering eyes to himself."
"He's a man."
They laughed as they circled each other, Obara continued, "Did you learn all of the fighting styles?"
"Not all, but they are on my list. It takes years just to perfect one and if I rushed them all then I can easily be blindsided by another."
Obara and Satine bared their weapons at the other person, grunting with great effort as they battled each other fiercely.
"ENOUGH!" One of the Martell guards yelled at them.
They backed away from each other slowly, obeying the guard.
"Lady Satine Lannister is a guest here, Obara," Oberyn snapped at his daughter with a firm voice. "We are just returning her to her castle for the wedding."
"Father-"
"Leave, Obara." Oberyn told her and when she didn't move, he growled lowly, "Now."
Obara glared angrily at Satine before saying, "This would have been a great fight. Until next time, lion."
"Sand snake," she gave a nod at Obara, watching her leave.
Satine threw the sword to the ground, breathing heavily as she glared at Oberyn. "Your daughter seems nice."
"Don't mind her. She's protective."
Satine rolled her eyes and stormed off into the direction of the water gardens, stopping when she saw long blonde hair…like her sister's.
"Myrcella?"
The girl turned around and knitted her eyebrows in confusion as she questioned, "Aunt Satine?"
"You look so much like your mother, it's truly amazing…you even have her eyes," Satine noted, smiling softly at the young girl who was a grown woman now. "How did you know that it was me?"
"There were pictures of you when I was little. I have one that my uncle Jaime gave me to remember you since we all knew that…that, um, you didn't want us," Myrcella admitted and took out a picture from her belt that she always hid.
Satine took the photo after she explained, "It wasn't that I didn't want any of you. I love you-I love my family more than anything in this world…but it's hard to love people who only hurt others for their own personal gain in life. They grow in power and wealth while the others die and have miserable lives, exposed to the game of the world. I didn't want that life so I changed my fate, Myrcella."
Myrcella smiled sadly. "I just wished that you were in my life more. Uncle Jaime and Uncle Tyrion told us so many tales about you. They said that you always refused to wear a dress unless grandfather made you or how you mocked mother's…mother's-"
"Control freak of a personality," Satine answered with a laugh.
"Yes. We used to beg mother to let us go across the Narrow Sea to visit you, but she never would have let us."
"She's just protective of you since you are her pride and joy in this world," Satine replied and looked down at the drawing of her. "I was so young when they drew this. I had this drawn for your uncle Tyrion since I was leaving them in the middle of the night…I remember telling him how I was never coming back to this place."
"Oh, this is Trystane," Myrcell said, encouraging the young boy next to her.
"Hello, Trystane," Satine greeted and noticed the way they were close to each other. She smiled softly at them. "I hope you are being smart about this."
"What-"
"I've been in love; I know that signs of it when I see it."
"I don't understand." Myrcell said as she shook her head. "What do you mean?"
She grabbed their joined hands into her own, warning them, "This road that you two will take with each other, it will be hard, but when it's real, you can't walk away. My advice to you two is that you both follow your heart and stay true to what you believe in. You both don't know how lucky you are that your arrangement of marriage worked out so well…believe in that."
Myrcella suddenly hugged her aunt fiercely. "You're probably the only one who's ever…believed. Uncle Tyrion said that you were like that."
"I'm just happy that you were safe when the siege happened."
"You knew?"
"I always knew what happened, but at the time, I couldn't go back to any of you. The world is cruel, Myrcella, and I wish that I could protect all of you from the reality of it and it's false hopes," Satine whispered then pulled away. "You do look so much like your mother yet you're nothing like her. Stay true to yourself, Myrcella."
"How long are you staying?"
"Until we leave for the wedding then I'll be back in King's Landing or-"
"Stay. Come back to Dorne and live here with us. You'll like it here and besides, I would really like the chance to get to know my Aunt better than told about her through old wives' tales."
Satine laughed and nodded. "Perhaps. It seems calmer here…and after what I've been through, I'm thinking of retiring really."
Myrcella smiled brightly. "Good. I am happy then."
"Satine," Oberyn called from behind.
"Excuse me while I talk to my supposed captor," Satine answered, walking away from her and towards him in a quick stride.
"What is it? What do you want?"
"We leave in three days for King's Landing."
"That's all?"
"Yes."
What a shit he is sometimes, she thought bitterly.
Satine squint her eyes at him before saying, "Don't. I don't want to know what you are going to do or say, but just don't, Oberyn. Especially since your daughter tried to murder me today for smacking you around a little bit."
As Oberyn watched her walk away from him, he thought, The Black Mamba…I wonder when I will tell her. I know that she will never forgive me for what I am about to do to her especially.
I'll lose her, but then I never really had her in the first place.
TBC…
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