Chapter 3
Rebekah POV Mikaelson Compound.
Rebekah stood on the port as the Martell ship docked in the harbour, as sailors both Northmen and Dornishmen started tying the ship to the dock. Once it was securely tied a rather ruggedly handsome man with dark hair and a well trimmed beard who looked to be in his late thirties approached her with three woman who appeared to be her own age, maybe a little older. "Lady Stark I believe." The man said an accent that sounded a little like a Spanish accent as he bowed slightly. Rebekah hadnever met a Dornishman before so she couldn't claim to know what a dornish accent sounded like.
"Indeed." She replied as she curtsied to him. "And you are Prince Oberyn?" She asked for confirmation. Rebekah had heard the Dornish liked pranks, and were also rather paranoid, and she wouldn't put it past them to send someone else pretending to be their prince.
"I am." Oberyn confirmed. "And these are my daughters Obara, Nymeria and Tyene Sand." The prince said introducing his daughters with strong emphasis on their last name, clearly expecting a reaction of some kind from her. To bad for him Rebekah couldn't give two shits about bastards.
"I've heard you three are some of the best warriors in Dorne," Rebekah began with a big smirk, "I hope the three of you are a challenge, it would be disappointing otherwise." She challenged them, after all what was the point of some of Dorne's strongest warriors going to the North if Rebekah couldn't test them for herself.
The three sand snakes were clearly a little surprised but that didn't stop them from grinning at the prospect, as the eldest Obara gave her a smirk in return. "We've also heard a lot about the 'she-wolf' of the North, we hope you live up to your own reputation."
"Oh, and what is my reputation in the South?" Rebekah asked genuinely curious about how the pompous lords south of the Neck viewed her, after all she had never been further south then Riverrun.
It was Nymeria who answered. "That you are a skilled warrior, a butcher of Iron Born,"
"And a woman of great beauty. I'm glad to see that the last is true." Tyene finished giving her an innocent look that hinted at everything.
"And I'm glad to see that Dornish woman are truly the most beautiful women in the world," Rebekah flirted back.
"Why thank you." Tyene replied and Rebekah just couldn't help but say.
"I said Dornish women, I didn't say you." She said while giving very open appreciative looks at both Obara and Nymeria while Tyene's sisters and father laughed.
"It seems like the North won't be as boring as I feared." Prince Oberyn stated as Tyene mock glared at them all.
After the Dornish were all rested from their voyage the Sand Snakes decided to take her up on her challenge with Obara going first. Rebekah wore the traditional Northern armour that was boiled leather and she held a long sword in her hand while Obara stood opposite her also wearing leather armour, while holding an eight foot long spear.
"If you were a man I'd be asking if you were compensating for something." Rebekah stated as she pointed at the massive bloody spear in Obara's hand, causing her opponent to snort.
"I think I'm beginning to like you Stark." The Martell bastard stated as the two of them circled each other, each waiting for the other to make the first move.
"And I you, Sand." She replied honestly as she sized up her opponent. Though she had only just met the Sand Snakes, and they were very crude, flirtatious and even a little insulting but Rebekah couldn't deny that she liked them.
"To first blood?" Obara asked.
"To submission," she replied as Obara smirked, and then proceeded to make the first move by stabbing at her with her spear, which Rebekah easily parried before launching a counter, which was dodged by Obara.
On the side lines Oberyn watched the spar with his daughter and Rebekah Stark in interest. The Stark girl was skilled, there was no denying that but she seemed to be a bit too reliant on her strength, rather then any actual skill. "She's good." Nym stated as she eyed up her eventual opponent.
"But Obara's better." Tyene countered and it was no boast, or simply a belief in her sister's skill but a fact. Obara was more experienced and her use of the spear gave her a much longer reach and allowed her to strike far more blows at Rebekah, quickly putting her on the defensive, but.
"If Obara wants to win then she needs end this fight quickly and decisively before she loses her advantage." Oberyn informed Nym and Tyene.
It was Obara who drew first blood when she butted the end of her spear in Rebekah's face, cutting her lip. "Give up Stark." Obara ordered as she stalked around her opponent, trying to hide just how cold she was.
"In your dreams Sand." She replied with a smirk as she saw Obara's moving around and fidgeting for what it was. Obara had never been to the North, likely had never even seen snow before, and while the woman had the sense to where boiled armour to help deal with the cold she simply wasn't used to it, Rebekah however was. She simply had to wait for Obara to exhaust herself out.
After trading a few more blows Rebekah went on the offensive, launching a series of attacks with a speed and strength that Obara simply wasn't prepared for. The opportunity presented itself Obara overreached herself and Rebekah simply sidestepped the blow and then slammed the flat of her blade on her hands holding the spear, causing her to drop it. Rebekah held her blade to her throat. "Surrender?" Rebekah asked with a big smirk while Obara simply glared at her as a cheer rang through the courtyard as the Northerners clapped and cheered in support of their liege lady.
"So who's next?" Rebekah asked the Snakes at Nymeria walked up to her with a whip in hand. 'This is going to be fun,' Rebekah thought as she ducked under the whip strike.
- line break -
"Gods, how can you handle this cold?" Nym asked her as they rode towards Winterfell. Despite being covered in wool and furs every single member of the Dornish contingent was freezing in the cold
"Tut, tut, tut. Can't handle the cold Nymphy?" Rebekah asked using her nickname for the Sand Snake that never failed to annoy her.
"If we were in Dorne you would have already passed out from the heat." Obara snapped at her, the two of them had developed a sort of rivalry ever since she had defeated her back in the compound. The fact that Nymeria had been able to beat her and Rebekah had only just beaten Tyene certainly didn't help.
"Good thing we're not in Dorne then." Rebekah replied as she gave the eldest Sand Snake a large smile causing Obara to glare at her.
"Don't worry big sis, I'm sure that one day you'll beet her." Tyene said in a mockingly sympathetic tone as the three of them laughed slightly.
"I want a rematch." Obara told her.
"Good for you." Rebekah replied as Winterfell was in sight. "How about a race?" She challenged the three of them who readily agreed as the three of them pushed their horses to max as they raced towards the ancient castle. Nymeria was the first to make it, rushing thought the courtyard of Winterfell, forcing people to move out of her way.
"I win." The woman called out from atop of her horse as she and the woman's sisters followed her in top the courtyard. "So you did." Tyene replied as Rebekah jumped off her horse and walked straight over to her family
"Father," she greeted pulling the old man into a hug. "You're going grey father." She told him as they pulled apart.
Her father simply laughed, "that's because of you and your sister, Rebekah." Ned replied to her.
"Mother," Rebekah said to her mother less warmly. Rebekah loved her mother but the two of them had a strained relationship, always had and likely always will.
"Rebekah." Her mother greeted as they embraced but quickly drew apart.
"Sansa," Rebekah greeted coldly.
"Rebekah." Her sister replied in the same cold tone. If she had a strained relationship with her mother it was nothing compared to the one she had with her sister. Sansa half lived in a fantasy world of Knights and songs that didn't exist and while Rebekah would openly admit that she had been very foolish at many points in her last life she had never been delusional, she had always known how the world truly worked.
Though their relationship had actually only really bad when during one of Septa Mondane's lessons Jeyne Poole had asked about marriage and what was expected of a woman, especially during the bedding. Mordane had replied to simply lay there and let the man do what he wanted, to which Rebekah had, not very quietly, stated "spoken like a woman who has never had the pleasure of being of fucked," to the woman's outrage, and since she was only 13 at the time it had lead to a very embarrassing talk with her parents. Anyway Sansa had been horrified that she had the gall to talk back to Mordane and openly call her the bitch that she was.
When she got to Arya her little sister just grew herself into her, causing her to let out a humph. "Why were you gone for so long, it was boring without you." Arya complained when she pulled away.
"No one to cover for you during Mordane's lessons?" Rebekah teased her baby sister.
"No, only you and Jon don't turn me in," Arya complained to the chuckling of their father. As a devout follower of the Old Gods their father had absolutely no problem with Arya skipping her lessons. "Septa Mordane is so boring."
"Well you don't need to worry little sister, I'm here to stay." Rebekah told Arya.
"Really?" Arya asked hopefully.
"Yep." The harbour was built and there was little reason for Rebekah to stay there, Qyburn was perfectly capable of running it until Bran was old enough to become its Lord.
After greeting her brothers Bran and Rickon she turned to her brother Jon who she greeted more then a little nervous and embarrassed. "Jon,"
"Rebekah," he replied equally embarrassed. Like her, Jon had spent the better part of the last four years at the Mikaelson compound, only to return to Winterfell just over two months ago. The two of them had gotten very drunk and the less said about what had happened the better. Jon had returned to Winterfell barely two days afterwards. "How have you been?" He asked her.
"Good, what about you?" Rebekah replied to prevent an uncomfortable silence. She did not like the distance that now existed between her and Jon.
"I'm good as well." Jon answered as he fidgeted slightly, just as uncomfortable as she was.
"And my mother?" Rebekah asked in concern.
"She's been kind to me." A lie she knew, but Rebekah also knew better then to bring it up. "So what are the Martells like?" Jon asked generally curious about them, he had heard a lot about Dorne and he was very curious about the southernmost kingdom of Westeros.
"Well they are very rude, blunt and even a tad insulting. You'll like them." She told him. Jon was a very well mannered person but, with the exception of Theon Greyjoy, he was also good friends with those who were very crude and blunt. Jon's friendship with Smalljon Umber and Maege Mormont's daughters were proof of that.
Jon gave a small laugh at her words before asking, "Are they as skilled as they say?" Jon asked with a pointed look towards the three Sand Snakes who were greeting her parents. Jon was without a doubt the best fighter in Winterfell and he looked forward to a new challenge.
"Yep. Far warning, don't fight Nymeria." Rebekah told him. In her opinion Nymeria was the best fighter out of the three. At the very least she was the most unpredictable, especially with her bloody whip. She was still bruised from her fight with her.
"Which one's Nymeria?" He asked and she pointed her out. "Beat you did she?" Jon teased, becoming far more relaxed with her.
"Jon I am one of the best fighters in the North." She mock bragged.
"She beat you." Jon stated certainly in amusement.
"Yep." She answered, causing Jon to laugh. "Don't be an ass." She scolded him but the smile on her face made it far less serious.
"What about the Red Viper?" He asked.
"You definitely do not want to fight him." Rebekah answered. She had no illusions about being able to defeat a warrior as renowned as Oberyn Martell but she had thought her strength and speed would give her a good chance in at least holding her own against him. But no, she had lasted a grand total of one minute against him.
"So he's as good as they say?" Jon asked intrigued.
"Better," Rebekah corrected.
"So come on sister, let's see if you have gotten any better." Jon challenged her.
"Be prepared to eat snow, Jon." Rebekah replied with a laugh.
- line break -
Oberyn Martell POV
Oberyn couldn't deny that Winterfell was a very impressive castle, one of the most impressive castles he had seen and since he had traveled all over Westeros and Essos that was certainly saying something. The feast that the Stark's had thrown in honour of his arrival wasn't quite a impressive but he hadn't expected it to be. The Northerners were a very stuffy lot and he had barely been able to tolerate the glares lady Stark had sent at his daughters as soon as she realised that they were bastards.
Probably a good thing Ellaria hadn't wanted to come either, the looks the stuffy old fish would have sent her may have ensured that Lord Stark was left a widow. A clanging sound drew his attention as he entered the courtyard, ignoring the biting cold. Walking towards the sound he saw a young boy who appeared to be in his teens.
"Why aren't you at the feast?" He called out to the boy, causing him to turn towards Oberyn and when he saw who it was he realised that it was Ned Stark's bastard son.
"Lady Stark thought it would be an insult to you my Prince, to seat a bastard." The boy, Jon, informed him to his anger. That woman had insulted his family in so many ways in a single day that Oberyn truly questioned the woman's sanity. First it was the greeting she gave his daughters, then it was the icy glares she continued to give them, but then she also refused to set them at the high table in the great hall during the feast and forbid her own children from interacting with them, and worst of all she did these things in front of him. It was only the potential repercussions that stopped him from acting on his anger. Oberyn knew of stigma attached to bastards but Oberyn had been to the North several times in the past and saw that due to the harsh way of life most Northerners believed in the quality of the person instead of who their parents were, however it was clear that despite living in the North for so long Lady Stark was still a riverlander at heart.
"My daughters and closest lover are bastards." He informed the boy, "Your presence would have been no insult." Oberyn told Jon as he looked closely at the boy, he had the Stark colouring but there was also something else in the boy, something familiar.
"It's a matter that Lady Stark has long since won against my father and sister. No bastards allowed in the great hall." Jon informed him not really caring. He had long since gotten used to it and accepted it.
"By refusing bastards she insults me far more than you." Oberyn told the boy, who to Oberyn's surprise burst into laughter.
"My sister said the exact same thing." Jon told him with a smile, a smile he instantly recognised as that of Rhaella Targaryen's. Immediately Oberyn's suspicions were raised as he looked intently at the boy. He had the Stark looks, but he didn't actually look that much like Eddard Stark, in fact he actually looked more like what Oberyn remembered man's late brother Brandon looked like. And even more like Lyanna Stark, Oberyn realised with a rush of anger.
Oberyn despised Lyanna Stark with every fibre of his being. He hated that whore more then he hated both Rhaegar and Aerys Targaryen. Oberyn knew for a fact that Lyanna went willingly with Rhaegar instead of being abducted by him, and therefore the entire war, along with the deaths of his sister, niece and nephew were all because of her.
Oberyn had traveled all over Essos, especially Volantis where the blood of old Valyria was still strong. While Jon Snow didn't have the traditional Valyrian looks, like the purple eyes and silver hair, but he certainly possessed the more subtle but still present Valyrian, or rather Targaryen, features.
"My Prince?" Jon asked concerned, having noticed his quietness.
"Tell me boy," Oberyan began asking, harsher then he meant to. "Do you know who your mother is?" Oberyn was very skilled at detecting lies and Jon didn't strike him as a particularly skilled liar.
"No my prince. My father doesn't like talking about her." Jon told him honestly and confused about why the prince of Dorne would ask about his mother.
"Carry on." Oberyn told the boy as he headed to his guest chambers, his thoughts going a mile a minute. If Doran didn't know, or at the very least didn't suspect the truth about about the boy's parentage then Oberyn vowed to eat his armour. That boy may very well be one of the main reasons Doran sent him to the North in the first place. Oberyn promised that he would have a long talk with his brother when he returned to Dorne. He would also need to talk to Ned Stark about the boy.
- line break -
Rebekah POV
"You're brother is very skilled," Nym stated as they watched Tyene and Jon fight. It was a very close one and Rebekah watched the fight with rapt attention.
"That he is." Rebekah muttered as she admired Jon's form. He was more skilled then her, far more. 'He's also very att- No Rebekah don't think that,' She scolded herself.
"I'm surprised he doesn't hesitate." Obara pointed out after Jon launched a particularly vicious blow that Tyene was only just able to dodge.
"Years of me kicking Jon on his ass has taught him to never underestimate a woman," Rebekah told the Sand Snakes with a hint of pride.
"I wouldn't mind knocking him on his ass." Nym muttered as she gave Jon a very lustful look, nearly causing Rebekah to frown. It was then that her hearing picked up something that caught her attention.
"Lord Stark," she heard Prince Oberyn begin speaking to her father, "I need to talk to you about your bastard." There was something strange about the way he said it, not insulting but almost disbelieving.
"About what?" Her father asked suspiciously.
"His parents." The Prince of Dorne answered. Subtly Rebekah glanced to where her father and Oberyn were conversing with each other, and though he hid it well, Rebekah could see that her father seemed genuinely afraid.
"We'll speak in my solar." Her father told the Red Viper as the two of them headed towards said solar and Rebekah began following them.
"Where are you heading?" Nym asked her.
"To the privy," she answered as to the Sand Snake's laugh. A slightly embarrassing answer but not one to raise questions as she headed to her father's solar, standing a good deal away from the entrance and down a corridor. While her strength and speed was nothing compared to what they were, her senses however were just as strong as they were when she had died.
"I must say Lord Stark," she heard Oberyn say, "I am impressed."
- line break -
"About what, Prince Oberyn?" Ned asked, trying not to appear nervous. He had known that the Martells would be one of the few people who might recognise Jon but he had hoped that wouldn't be the case.
"Considering that you lost your father and brother to the Targaryens, I am surprised that you would protect one, even if he is your nephew." Oberyn stated lounging in the chair opposite Ned's, completely at ease.
"What gave Jon away?" Ned asked as he placed a hand on Ice, fearing that a fight may be inevitable. Oberyn Martell's hatred for those who caused the death for his sister, niece and nephew was infamous, and he feared that Oberyn may try to hurt Jon for being Lyanna's son.
"The boy has the Stark looks, but the Targaryen features are present if one looks properly." Oberyn answered still at ease despite knowing that Stark was holding his sword in his hand.
"Have you told anyone?" Ned asked.
"No, but I suspect that one of the reasons my brother sent me here was to find out more about the boy. Doran may not know for certain, but I would bet everything that he suspects." Oberyn answered angrily. He loved and respected his brother, he really did, but Oberyn was sick and tired of all his schemes and plots.
Ned was not happy about the Prince's response, he knew that many regarded Prince Doran as weak but he knew that the man was just as dangerous, if not more so then his hotheaded younger brother. "Do you mean Jon any harm?" Ned asked in an almost threatening tone of voice.
Oberyn took a minute before answering. "I won't lie Lord Stark, I despise your sister with my entire being. In fact if childbirth hadn't killed her I likely would have done it myself." Ned's face tightened at his words and he looked ready to interrupt. "Especially as I know for a fact that she went willingly with Rhaegar Targaryen."
"But I don't blame children for the sins of their parents." He answered, causing Eddard to let out a sigh of relief and visibly relax. "Besides, the boy is well mannered and from what I have seen a truly decent person."
"Indeed." Eddard replied with a hint of pride.
Oberyn stood up to leave and Eddard did the same. "I promise you Lord Eddard that you have nothing to fear from either me or my brother. We may hate Lyanna and Rhaegar but as long as Jon does nothing to earn our enmity then we would never do anything to harm him." Prince Oberyn promised.
"Thank you Prince Oberyn." Eddard stated shaking hands with him.
- line break -
Rebekah was completely shocked speechless. She couldn't even remember the last time she had been so shocked. Jon, her brother was not her brother at all but her cousin. That actually made her feel a little better.
He also wasn't a bastard at all but the true heir of the seven kingdoms. The true king of Westeros. No wonder her father was so protective of Jon, after what had happened to his half siblings Aegon and Rhaenys of course her father would do anything to protect Jon. The question was what was Rebekah going to do with what she had learnt. Should she tell Jon about his parentage or wait for her father to tell him.
She was also worried about the Dornishmen that were in Winterfell. Rebekah couldn't bring herself to trust the Dornish, not after what she had just learned.
Saint River: I honestly don't have a clue about what to do with Theon, he and Rebekah probably won't be friends but I don't think that I'll make them enemies. But I have been thinking about making Theon one of Jon's kings guard.
There have been a few questions about how powerful Rebekah is and how powerful she will become. I won't say how powerful she will become, spoilers, but she is not so powerful at the moment that exceptionally skilled fighters like Oberyn Martell, Jaime Lannister, the Mountain, the Hound would have much of a problem beating her.