Obara

The palm of Father's hand struck the table with a resounding thump. "I told you that I wanted to have no dealings with her! Was I not specific enough?"

Obara and Nym exchanged glances with one another. Why does this bother him so much? What is it between him and this Widow?

Clearly one of them would have to ask him. Equally clearly neither of them wanted to actually do it.

Go on, you're the oldest, Nym's gaze said.

Go on, you're the sophisticated one, Obara's eyes replied.

Pussy, Nym's eyes declared as she cleared her throat. "Father…why is this is an issue. We have a ship and an army now, isn't that good thing?"

"Except for the fact that our army can't all fit on the ship," Sarella murmured.

"It's not an army," Obara said. "It's a mercenary company."

"Doesn't change the fact that it can't fit on the ship."

"True."

"Would you rather that we were stuck here?" Ellaria demanded. "Wasting away in this house in Volantis while Queen Daenaerys is shipped to some Lysene pleasure house and the heads of her dragons adorn some Meereenese pyramid? Do you not want us to succeed?"

"Zavara-"

"I did not know that you would succeed when I approached the Widow," Ellaria said. "How could I have known, all our other entreaties were fruitless."

"You could have had more faith in me," Father muttered.

Ellaria frowned. "We both know that that is not the reason for your discontent."

Father scowled. "The Widow does nothing without a price. What does she want in return?"

"She wants what we want," Elia said, her voice soft. "She wants Fire and Blood."

Father shook her head. "So, even when we reach Daenaerys in Meereen we will be forced to wait for our vengeance until all the wrongs in Essos have been righted, and who knows what will happen in that time. The dragons may die, the Queen may die, she may decide she would rather stay here and rebuild the Valyrian Empire rather than take her father's throne in King's Landing. All of these troubles will be ours because we are bound to the Widow of the Waterfront and her dreams of liberty."

"It does feel a little selfish to just walk away," Sarella said. "Something has to be done about this place."

"Says who?" Nym demanded.

"Me, just now, obviously," Sarella said flatly.

Nym leaned back in her seat. "This will be good. Why does something have to be done?"

"Because this place is vile, obviously," Sarella declared. "How can you look around and not think that?"

"So what, you think we should just burn it down, or let some dragons do it for us?" Nym demanded. "What about my mother, what about my sister?"

"We're your sisters," Obara said.

"My other sister, on my mother's side," Nym snapped. "You want to burn her like Black Harren?"

"Just because she's your mother doesn't make what she does right."

"No, it makes her my family."

"We are family," Obara said loudly. "We, us, Sand Snakes, remember? Sisters. So both of you shut you mouths and stop this pointless argument."

"She wants-"

"Mother's mercy, nobody is burning Volantis!" Obara yelled.

Silence descended upon the common of the Merchant's House, as every eye in place turned towards the Dornish party, Ghiscari exiles and salty seamen and fat-bellied traders all gazing at them with suspicion.

Obara rose to her feet. "What?" she yelled. "Nobody is burning Volantis! Also, bears shit in the woods, what about it? Point your eyes somewhere else."

Tyene giggled nervously. "Don't worry about us. Our little sister here," she pulled Elia to her feet, holding her in a stifling hug. "Has always been a little afraid of fire, and all of your red priests have made her a bit nervous. We were just reassuring her that they aren't going to lose control and burn down the city, that's all." She giggled again.

Obara raised one eyebrow at her. Seriously?

Tyene looked at her, as if to ask if she had any better ideas.

Obara scowled. "Yes…that…you see, sister, there is nothing whatsoever to worry about. The city is not…going to…burn down. At all. Ever. So stop staring at her!"

"She's very over-protective," Tyene hissed.

Father cleared his throat. "I apologise, gentlemen, for this disturbance. In recompense, let me stand the room a round of drinks, on me."

The entire bar cheered, and instantly forgot any talk of burning down Volantis.

"That will set us back a bit," Nym said.

"Less than the price in blood that Dorne will pay if the Spider learns that we are here," Father said. He glanced at Obara, who found herself shrinking from the disappointment in his eyes. "You talk too loud."

Obara bowed her head. "I am sorry, Father. I merely-"

"I know," Father cut her off, his voice as hard as rock. "Nymeria, Sarella, this bickering is beneath you."

"Yes, Father."

"Sorry, Father."

"We will go to Meereen by ship," Father declared. "And be gone before the Band of the Serpent arrives here."

"Is that your decision, Father," Obara said. "Or your suggestion?" Can we dispute with you, or is this your final word?

Father smirked. "Meaning that you disagree with me and want to know if I will hear you out?"

Obara nodded. "Yes, Father."

"Say your piece," Father said. "Why am I wrong?"

"I think it would be better to arrive at Meereen with a free company backing us up than with just us," Obara said.

"The plan was always to reach Daenaerys with just us," Tyene said. "What's changed?"

"Nothing, but we have the opportunity to look more impressive now," Obara said. "Five hundred light cavalry are nothing to sneer at."

"She already has an army," said Nym.

"Everyone who has an army wants a bigger one," Obara replied.

"To take the mercenaries means going by land," Sarella said. "The demon road is perilous."

"So is the sea, don't you think?" Obara asked. "Storms, wrecks, pirates. Is it really any safer than the land route to Slaver's Bay."

"Mercenaries cannot be trusted," Father declared.

"Aren't they your mercenaries?"

"I founded the company," Father said. "But a Lyseni named Khorys leads the Band now, and he will not help me simply for old times' sake."

"Do you know him?" Ellaria asked.

Father nodded. "Ambitious. Very ambitious, for a sellsword. He aims to be much more than that by the time he dies."

"Offer him Casterly Rock once we've cast down House Lannister," Tyene suggested. "That ought to be a sweet offer for the most ambitious man alive."

Sarella's eyebrows rose. "You're proposing that we give a sellsword Casterly Rock?"

"Well a heartless, rapist, child-murdering, gold-shitting fucker holds it now, so you could argue a sellsword would be an improvement."

"But if we go with the mercenaries," Elia said. "Won't we have to do what the Widow wants?"

"Fuck the Widow," Obara said.

"I don't think you'd want to, she's really old."

Tyene snorted.

Obara smirked. "Maybe, but my point is we can take her help and walk away if we want to." She paused. "She didn't just hear that, did she?"

"Let us know in the morning if you wake up," Nym replied. "If you're dead we'll know the answer was 'Yes, I heard everything'."

"Haha," Obara muttered. "My point is, I think the land route is no more dangerous than the sea, and it brings advantages along with it."

"The sea route is quicker," Nym said.

"Assuming calm seas and a fair wind and all that," Sarella said. "Both quite significant assumptions."

Obara frowned. "Father, what say you?"

Father's face was impassive. He looked like a serpent, hiding in the grass, without expression.

"There is force in both arguments," he said. He was silent for a moment. "What we do, what we decide, will affect the future of Dorne. So many depends on us. We cannot afford to fail."

His shoulders slumped. Obara's eyes widened. She had never seen her father troubled by his position, or the burdens that Prince Doran placed upon him before. She had never seen him…she had never seen him look vulnerable.

"We will split up," Father said. "Some will go by sea, and the rest by land with the Band of the Serpent."

"Is that wise?" Ellaria asked.

"Someone must reach Danaerys in Meereen," Father said. "Someone must bring her home to Dorne. Someone must succeed. If we split up, we double our chances at success."

"And if neither group makes it through?" Sarella asked.

"Then the gods hate Dorne and probably us personally and we were never meant to succeed," Tyene said.

"Is that your opinion as a student of the seven-pointed star?"

"Pretty much."

"I'll take the land road," Obara declared.

"Are you certain?" Father asked.

"It was my plan, I'd have to be a craven not to follow through on it," Obara said. "You should go by sea, Father. Lady Zavara gave the ship to you, it might not sail for one of us."

Father looked at her for a moment, then nodded. "Are you certain that you can manage Khorys."

"I can master any man, and any horse for that matter," Obara declared.

"I'll go with you," Tyene said. "Mastery is all well and good, but a pretty face helps too."

"Are you sure?" Obara asked. "I wouldn't have thought the presence of a whole load of mercenaries would really suit you."

"Because I'm so pure and innocent?"

"Not exactly."

Tyene giggled. "Don't worry about me, Obara. Sex can be more dangerous than it looks. Sometimes it can ever be fatal."

"I'm sure it can," Obara muttered.

"Elia and I will go with you, lover," Ellaria said.

Father smiled. "Of course."

"And me, too," Nym announced. "It's my mother's ship, I should be on it."

Sarella said, "Then I'll take the demon road."

Obara frowned. "Are you sure?"

Sarella sighed. "Just because we're not all as strong as you doesn't make us incapable."

"No, but…" Obara hesitated. "Why do you want to?"

"Because nobody really knows anything about the demon road because every avoids it," Sarella said. "I can write about that as well as dragons."

Obara shrugged. "Suit yourself, I suppose."

"So," Father said. "It looks as though this is goodbye."

"Only for a little while," Obara said. "We'll meet again." I hope so, anyway.

Nym raised her tankard. "Here's to us. Nobody else quite like us."

"I'll drink to that," Obara said, slamming her tankard into Nym's. "Here's to fair winds and a following sea."

"Here's to a road without too many demons on it," Nym said.

"Here's to us," Sarella said. "May we meet again."

"Until we meet again," Obara corrected her.

"Until we meet again."