AN- Hey guys, another chapter here. This is one I have wanted to write for a while, and you'll see why when you read. Anyways, remember to R&R, and I hope you enjoy!
How Word Spreads
Casterly Rock- Casterly Rock was currently being up decorated and prepared for the feast later today. The old and intimidating castle was to become a warm, inviting place for the Lords of the Westerlands. As the staff were bustling around, Atticus was currently leading the name day girl to a special place.
"How much farther Atticus?" She asks, one hand grasping his and the other over her eyes. Her bare feet can feel the wet sand under her feet. Arya is wearing a well made tunic and trousers. Atticus leads her a few more feet, and then stops.
"We're here, you can open your eyes." He says, smiling. Arya uncovers her eyes and gasps at the sight. They were in a cave, but it was no ordinary cave, as there were gold ore veins everywhere. There were many different mixtures of gold as well, creating minerals that ranged from red to green to white to almost silver.
"What is this place?" She asks, looking around.
"It is an old cave that I found when I was a ward here. I'm just happy that the miners haven't touched it yet. Old stories say that from anywhere you dig in the rock you can find gold." He says, touching the side of the cave, his hand brushing over a gold vein.
"It's beautiful, thank you for showing it to me." She says. There is a comfortable silence as she looks around the cave.
"Are you ready for the feast tonight?" Atticus asks, and Arya sighs.
"As ready as I will ever be. Do I really need to be in a dress?" She complains. Atticus chuckles at her.
"Well, if you don't really want to, you wouldn't have to. Personally, I think you look very pretty in a dress." He answers. Arya blushes at his compliment.
"You really think so?" She says. Atticus nods his head.
"Yes, I do. I also know that the rest of the nobles will agree with me." He says. Arya thinks for a few moments and then huffs.
"Fine, I will wear a dress. You have to dress up as well." She says, grumbling the last part. Atticus smiles and begins to walk back to the castle.
"Of course, sweet wolf, though I think I make everything I wear look good." He says. Arya playfully punches him in the arm, causing him to loose balance and fall down into the water. Arya walks over to him.
"Sorry." She says, extending a hand. Atticus grabs her hand and swiftly pulls her down into the water as well. He stands up laughing as Arya sits up and glares at him. She begins to splash him, which he returns. The two of them laugh and splash for a few minutes before returning to the castle.
Later- The great hall of Casterly Rock is full of people as many Lords and Ladies enter. Atticus and Arya sit next to each other at the main table, as Arya is presented gifts. Arya frowns at the amount of dresses she gets, but becomes intrigued when an older man walks up, holding a book. Atticus smiles and walks over to the man, who gives Atticus a pat on the shoulder.
"Arya, this is Lord Damon Marbrand, my grandfather from my mother's side." He says. The man smiles and walks over to Arya.
"Hello, my lady I have brought you a book called Warrior Women of Westeros. It catalogs almost every female fighter in our history from Dorne to the Wall." He says, handing the book to Arya. She accepts it, smiling as she places it next to her.
"Thank you, my Lord." She says. They are interrupted by a loud commotion from the entrance to the great hall. Atticus and Arya walk towards it, wanting to investigate. Arya has her hand on Needle, something that Atticus notices as they hear hushed voices.
"He wasn't invited here, was he?" One of the guests says. Atticus pushes past the crowd, and is shocked by who he finds.
"Ah, I presume this is the little Lord Lannister." The man says, his voice thick with an accent.
"You would presume right, Prince Oberyn Martell" Atticus responds. Oberyn walks up to him, a grin obvious on his face.
"It seems my reputation precedes me. Your father and grandfather must know what that is like." Oberyn says, picking up a wine glass and taking a sip.
"True, but what brings you here, Prince Oberyn?" Atticus questions.
"Only to meet the little lord and his betrothed. Where is the she anyways?" Oberyn says. Arya walks past the others and in front of Oberyn.
"I am Arya Stark. It is a pleasure to meet you, Prince Oberyn." She says with a curtsy. Oberyn smiles and give her a polite bow of the head.
"Lady Arya, it seems you have inherited the Stark looks from your father. You resemble your aunt Lyanna very much." He says. He then snaps his fingers and two servants bring up a large box.
"I have heard that you enjoy fighting, much like my own daughters do. And besides the sword you use, you may like something for distance." Oberyn says. The box is opened, revealing a beautifully carved bow. Arya, being that she is from the north, immediately recognizes that it is made of Weirwood. She picks it up, and examines it closely.
"Thank you, Prince Oberyn." She says, placing the bow on her back. Oberyn smiles more, something that unsettles Atticus.
"Your welcome, my lady. This is not the only present, though. I present my daughter Ellia Sand, and I offer you her service as a handmaiden, and perhaps teach you a thing or two about your other present." Oberyn says, pointing to a girl around Atticus and Arya's age. She has black braided hair and her father's eyes. Atticus barely stops himself from protesting when he sees Arya's almost pleading eyes.
"Welcome to Casterly Rock, Lady Ellia. Prince Oberyn, a word please." Atticus says. Oberyn nods and follows Atticus as he leads him away from the main party.
"So, what does the Kingslayer's Bastard want to say?" Oberyn asks, mockingly.
"This bastard wants to know what you are planning, but I don't think I will get an honest or even partial answer from the Red Viper." Atticus responds. Oberyn cocks his eyebrow, but shrugs.
"You should know a lot about dishonesty and dishonor, seeing as who you were raised by." He says. Atticus shrugs off the insult pointed at his father.
"You must have become very desperate for you to send your daughter as a spy into our mix, that much is obvious. What I wonder is what exactly you wants her to find out." Atticus says.
"Nothing, my lord. I just wanted to give the future Lady Lannister a few tokens of my esteem." Oberyn says.
"Well then, I have to request that you leave Arya out of your games. She has nothing to do with what happened between our houses." Atticus says, a bit of anger in his voice.
"True, but my sister Ellia Martell had nothing to do with her husbands actions, yet what came of those actions killed her and her children." Oberyn says, taking a step closer to Atticus.
"Do you think that I don't know that? You want the people responsible for her death. You want Ser Gregor Clegane,who murdered baby Aegon, and raped your sister before killing her. You want Ser Amory Lorch, who stabbed three year old Rhaenys half a hundred times. And lastly, you want my grandfather Tywin Lannister, who ordered the whole thing." Atticus says. Oberyn looks at him with a cold fury.
"Yes, I do, I want justice for my family, for the crimes committed against them by yours!" Oberyn says angrily. Atticus doesn't fail to meet the Red Viper's eyes.
"And if I could give you that justice to you, I would. But each person you want dead is in the Riverlands, so if you mean to kill them you best head there." Atticus says.
"I don't want them dead. I want to hear them confess their crimes, I want to make them suffer for what they have done." Oberyn says.
"So you seek revenge, not justice. Fine, do what you want to your targets, but leave me and Arya out of it, or you will regret it." Atticus threatens, giving Oberyn a glare.
"This is a dangerous game you are playing boy, trying to throw power around." Oberyn says. Atticus scoffs at the older man's words.
"I have lived most of my life in the viper's nest people call King's Landing, do you think I am new to this. I had to sneak my betrothed out of the city just to bring her to the lion's den, a place that I feel is safer for her. I will be damned if someone lays a hand on her!" Atticus says, staring down Oberyn.
"You may be look like your father, but those eyes you have belong to Tywin Lannister." Oberyn says, staring the boy down. The two of them are interrupted when they hear someone walking towards them.
"What?" Atticus says, glaring in the direction of the footsteps, only to stop when he sees its Arya. He backs up from Oberyn and walks over to Arya.
"Arya." He says, reaching out, only for her to involuntarily recoil from him. The action hurts him, but he realizes that it's his eyes again. His eyes soften, and she steps forward. He lays his hand on her face and rubs her cheek gently. Oberyn is surprised to see the heir to Tywin Lannister show such softness.
"You speak with a passion that only appears when someone has something worth fighting for, boy. Don't loose that fire, ever." Oberyn says, and walks away, leaving the young pair alone.
"How much of that did you hear?" Atticus asks.
"All of it." She answers. Atticus can't help but notice how she seems to be fighting an urge to pull away from him. He takes his hand away from her.
"Did I scare you?" He asks. Arya sighs and nods slowly.
"Yeah, a little" She says. Atticus looks down, ashamed.
"I'm sorry, I never wanted to. This is your name day, nothing should upset you." Atticus says. Arya punches his arm at first, but then smiles warmly at him, grabbing his hand and placing it back on her face.
"It's fine, you were trying to protect me. I don't know many people who would stand up to the Red Viper and show no fear." She says.
"Key word is show, because honestly, I was scared as hell." Atticus admits, laughing nervously. Arya smiles at him.
"Yeah, you were shaking in your boots, weren't you." She teases. Atticus smiles and kisses her on the lips.
"How about we go and dance?" He suggests. Arya nods her head.
"Sure, just don't step on my toes." She says with a smirk, as he leads her to the main hall. The two of them go into the center mass of everyone else, and find that their being observed by many of the guests.
"It seems the water dancing has made you more nimble." He says, twirling her around. Arya giggles and grasps his hand and brings the other to her waist as the music slows.
"And it seems carrying Brightroar has made you stronger" She says, noticing how he effortlessly guides her while dancing. Atticus smiles as she rests her head on his shoulder.
"I think the guests are noticing as well." He says. Arya looks around, and notices many of the lords looking at her. She blushes at their looks and Atticus can't help but chuckle. They are interrupted by screaming and frantic movement from the guests. Atticus runs down to the front, Arya right behind him. She spots Jon, with two guards behind him carrying someone, and runs up to him.
"Jon, who is it?" Arya asks. Jon turns to her.
"It's Jory, he said he rode here to warn us about something." Jon says. Arya along with many of the guests gasps when she sees how Jory is bleeding badly.
"Fetch the Maester!" Atticus yells. Jory looks up, and reaches for his pocket, wincing due to his wounds.
"Lord Stark...captured." He says, pulling a letter out, bearing the Stark seal. He hands it to Atticus, before passing out. Atticus opens the letter as Jory is carried away so he can be tended to. Atticus reads it, and his face shows many emotions, from shock, to horror, to anger.
"Atticus, what is it?" Arya asks. Atticus hands Jon the letter and walks away, obviously angry. Jon reads it as well, and his eyes widen. Arya, a bit angry at them for not telling her what it is, turns to face the guests.
"Everyone, I appreciate your gifts and time, but please do leave." She says. The guests grumble as they are escorted out of the halls, leaving only the two siblings, as Genna and Gerion had left to check on Atticus. Arya walks over to Jon, concern on her face.
"Jon, what does the letter say?" She asks, afraid to know the answer.
"The king is dead. It says that all of the royal children are bastards, and not his." Jon says. Arya gasps, her hands covering her mouth. By the look on Jon's face, she can tell that there is more.
"What else?" Arya asks. Jon gulps nervously before speaking.
"Father says that their father, is Jaime Lannister." He says, shocking Arya.
AN- Another chapter done! What did you guys think about Oberyn showing up? And I know that Ellia doesn't specialize with the bow, but if I am being honest I have to admit that I just picked a random Sand Snake, and with her age she seems best for this. Anyways, Remember to R&R, and I hope you enjoy!