It was already the last day of the moon.
Although the sky was clear as usual, the sun had not yet begun to beat down with its full intensity.
Nevertheless, a huge awning had been erected, and on either side of it there were tents, coloured fabrics and parasols of various sizes to minimise the effects of the dornish sun.
There was little that could be done about the heat, but the autumnal breeze coming in from the Summer Sea, its mild salty smell and the delicious freshly caught fish, more than compensated for its pernicious effects.
The ideal place to feast, indeed.
By now Sarella will have arrived in Oldtown, if she was lucky enough to find a ship quickly.
Arianne still remembered the last time she saw her, at the motherhouse run by Honourable-Mother Hermestine, some weeks ago.
[ … ]
Even if no one had given her permission, Sarella had poked her impertinent nose into the back of the two-storey building, to see what was there.
She was dressed in a pair of old brown breeches that had belonged to Obara, so they were rather big on her...
Arianne was not sure if she liked her cousin's outfit or if she thought it was a horror.
It is never clear to me whether she wears the first thing that comes out of her clothe-chests or whether she carefully thinks about what she is going to wear days in advance, —she thought at the time.
For the truth was that, even if it looked as if Sarella had stolen the stable boy's clothes, the outfit did not look bad on her at all.
Despite the rudeness of the young woman's gesture, Arianne could not resist following her.
The motherhouse was inland, halfway between Sunspear and the Greenblood river, not far from a village of about thirty huts they called Narrowpool.
It was a field of olive trees so vast that it was almost lost to sight.
There were also a large orchard with crops, though these were so strangely arranged that it gave her the impression of being wasted. But it could be that she simply did not know about these things.
"It is as if the septas had prepared everything, but then never got around to planting all the seeds they had planned, do not you think?" —Sarella had asked her.
So it was not just my impression.
"Yes, it is strange". —she answered.
Arianne decided to go back inside.
It was too hot outside and she did not want the embarrassment of being caught snooping around.
After a while, Sarella seemed to tire of watching the sisterhood's little vegetable garden and went back into the building, next to the table where Arianne was sitting again.
"I suppose you will be back in Dorne in time for the Millennium celebrations, —she had told her younger cousin—. There will be tourneys, games, contests for bards and minstrels, and even a play recounting Nymeria's journey. It is by a mummer's company from Myr. The author has been working on it for about a year, though I have not been able to find out his identity".
"I will try, —was Sarella's half-hearted reply—, but I doubt very much if it will be possible".
That was not the answer Arianne had hoped for.
But for a few moons now, her cousin, who had always been a bit weird, had been behaving stranger than usual.
In particular, she had changed a lot since the red comet appeared in the sky.
"But these are the kind of things you... History and so on, they are the topics you like, you cannot just miss it!".
How long does she intend to stay on those islands? —Arianne had wondered.
She understood the young woman's need to see her mother again, and to get to know her homeland and her people.
Nymeria had spent a couple of years living in Volantis.
Tyene had also spent time with her mother.
And even Arianne herself had visited the land of hers.
She had wanted to see her mother, Lady Mellario, again, and to meet her maternal grandfather, Stephanios Votyris, one of the dreaded Bearded Priests of Norvos.
And my grandmother Arionna, —for she was the one she still remembered with affection in spite of everything that happened.
Areoh Hotah chose not to go, claiming that his place was with his Prince, so it was Darkstar who accompanied her, as her sworn-shield.
But she did not even last three moons there.
The Free City of the Three Bells proved to be a dreadfully dull place for the young dornish princess.
"I know, —Sarella had admitted to her—, and besides, I would have loved to help you organise everything, especially to make the historical aspects as accurate as possible. Because this is a fascinating story that forged Dorne's identity as one people. Mianna dhessani!".
"Dhisso Noyar, —Arianne completed—. But, do you realize that your absence will detract from the inauguration day, right? The smallfolk will want to see the eight Sand-Snakes together again! —She crossed her arms and turned back to the large orchard to avoid her cousin's gaze—. Besides, who says I am going to be the one to organise it all? I doubt very much that my father would leave such a large undertaking in the hands of someone like me. It is a very important event, you know?".
Sarella was taken aback by her words.
"Of course I know how important it is, —she replied, somewhat offended—. And why would not he entrust it to you? Who else? For years now, all the feasts and banquets have been your domain, and you are very good at organising them all".
"Come on, —she dismissed her with a wave of her hand—, that is only when they are insignificant events. Important tasks are left to your father. Or Sir Manfrey and Alyse Ladybright, the Prince's treasurer, —she felt strong enough to turn and look her in the eye without crying—. Even Ricasso has more responsibility the me. I am the least important of them all!".
"Oh, dear cousin, —Sarella had risen to take her by the hand—, I think you misjudge what uncle Doran expects of you".
"Oh, so do you think so?", —she had asked her sarcastically.
"Of course, —the younger girl ignored the mocking tone—. Not every feast you have hosted has been an unimportant event. A few weeks ago, my sister Tyene's two-and-twenty name-day party. It was not one to go down in history, I do agree, but it was a very special day for me, and it was thanks to you. And when the emissary of the Oilers Guild of Norvos visited us. Or the one you made to welcome the admiral of the Myriad Fleet, and he came with that handsome pirate, do not you remember? —she wanted to encourage her.
But Arianne, stubborn as she was, shook her head vigorously.
Her cousin simply did not understand.
With the eight and ten days of her name that she counted, Sarella Sand thought she knew everything, but she was dead wrong.
She had no idea what she was talking about, she did not know her father as well as one might expect, though the truth was that no one knew him very well.
—
No one knew what was what it takes to please Prince Doran.
Darkstar presented him with the head of the bandit who called himself the Bold Reed, a real pain in the neck for more than two years and who was getting bolder and bolder in his robberies of merchants on the Dune Paths.
His father put a price on his head, but when he had it... it turned out that was not what he wanted.
"There was someone behind that bandit, —he had said—. He had a backer. Someone powerful who supported him, perhaps Gerold Dayne himself, or another lord who profited from his robberies. But he is dead now. We will never get the answer".
Who knew what was on the Prince of Dorne's mind?
When he announced his decision to ally the Princedom with the Lannisters through marriage, there was an awkward silence, cut by the already gray-haired Nymella Toland, Lady of Ghost Hill, reminding them in front of whom they were standing.
"Doran has made a decision, —she told her peers, looking at them decisively—, and we swear to obey him, whatever he decides. For our Prince watches over and serves Dorne and we serve him".
She was also the first to turn to him to make the pledge, and she kissed his ring after bowing.
The others followed, one after the other they swore.
And it was clear from the expressions on their faces that, though they did not yet understand his decision at this moment, they would in time.
Or so I hope, —Arianne remembered thinking to herself.
The Lords of Dorne trusted their Prince.
As they waited their turn to pay homage, the four sand-snakes looked bewildered, disoriented, and did not find the answer they had hoped for when they sought it in the eyes of their father, the Red Viper, who was the only one who did not move, remaining at his brother's right side all the time.
They all left the Water Gardens and returned to their lands and castles.
But none left before they had private audiences, sometimes individually while other times in small groups, with her father, meetings in which each received commands on the role they would play in his plans to come.
Apart from the Prince, the only one present at all these meetings was a very angry Oberyn.
Arianne, on the other hand, was not invited to any of them.
So she did not quite understand what made her stay there, if she had no part in her father's plans.
The last to leave the palace were the Bloodroyal and the Red Viper, who began to seem much more enthusiastic about whatever it was he planned with his older brother regarding the alliance with the Lannisters.
But he did not explain why, of course, to her or his daughters.
"You will understand in time", —he winked at her.
Then she refused to be cowed, for her father was not going to get rid of her as easily as he thought.
She decided that she too would talk to all the lords, ladies and knights. And she too talked to their heirs and heiresses.
They knew her and loved her, and as always they showed it to her.
Except the Yronwoods, but she already knew that too.
Arianne knew everything.
She knew they had been secretly plotting for years to take Dorne from her and give it to her brother Quentyn, who had been born five years after her... but with a cock between his legs.
Quentyn barely spoke to her, he never did, at least he had that decency. He surrounded himself with his Yronwood cabal and barely interacted with anyone else.
Cletus, the handsome heir to Yronwood, on the other hand, had always been a shameless prick and tried to pretend nothing was wrong.
The Princess treated him as she always did: politely, yes, but she was also cold and distant.
Her cousin on the other hand...
Arianne did not understand what game Nymeria was playing at with Cletus.
With all the bad blood between the two families since long before either of them was born, with what happened to her mother, the death of old Lord Yronwood...
—
Remembering all that took away her will to convince Sarella to come back in time for the Millennium celebrations.
It made her even sadder, but she did not want to cry.
She could not.
She was a Dornish princess, so she could not shed tears for such petty reasons.
"No, you are right, Sarella, —she spoke at last, when she felt she was able to control her emotions—. How long has it been since your mother visited us in Sunspear? I seem to remember it was..." —she counted on her fingers, though not quickly enough.
"Seven years," —with a sad smile on her lips, her young cousin answered before her.
"That long?" —Arianne was surprised.
Her mother, Xhandella Malaq, a native of the Summer Islands, commanded a humble fleet of swan ships composed of four merchant galleys, of which she herself captained the one named Feathered Kiss.
"Well, I personally last saw her three years ago. My mother and her men usually ply the trade route between Lotus Port and Oldtown almost exclusively. But sometimes they also come to the Planky Town and Lys, rarely reaching Tyrosh or Myr. And even more rarely have they ventured as far as Pentos or Volantis".
"You have not seen her since you were ten and five, —Arianne came to realise—, no wonder you miss her so much".
"Yes, —the younger one replied in a tone she could not quite describe—. Very much".
She needs her mother so badly… —Arianne realised.
The Princess still remembered perfectly well that she had come of age when Xhandella and her two eldest daughters, the identical twins Malala and Lilala, had spent an entire moon with them in Sunspear.
She left the ship moored at one of the castle's docks, while the other went to trade in Lys. Xhandella had only two ships at the time, and yet she brought them all splendid gifts.
Arianne still had her gold earrings encrusted with tiny emeralds, but the best gift of all was, of course, for Sarella: a magnificent set of goldenheart bows and arrows, with which she would practice on for hours.
The memory that stuck with her the most, though, was her uncle Oberyn's bewildering attitude throughout his former paramour's visit. It revealed a side of his personality Arianne had never known before and had never seen again.
"The truth is that, it is…".
But she had not been able to finish her sentence.
—
Their hostess, Honourable-Mother Hermestine, entered the common room followed by the sixteen other septas and novices who made up their community and the ever elegant Lady Nym.
They all carried a tray in their hands.
"It is not much, my ladies, —apologised the elderly woman, who was well into her sixties by now—. Too humble for a feast in honour of a princess, but we do not count on much".
"Do not talk like that, I beg you, mother —Arianne replied—. You have been kind enough to welcome us into your motherhouse for the past two days".
She and Tyene insisted on accompanying Sarella part of the way.
Nymeria would accompany her even further, to the Greenblood. From there the younger sister would take a ship to Oldtown and the elder one would go upriver to Vaith.
Her destination was the seat of House Fowler.
They all sat around the low old table and, some of them, on top of cots which, though not very comfortable, were better than sitting on the floor.
"Honourable-Mother, —said Sarella, as she stirred her porridge—, I have taken the liberty of going out into the back yard, I hope it was not too discourteous".
"Oh, no, —she replied, though she looked astonished—, but I can imagine your disappointment, my young lady. It is not something to boast of, I am afraid".
"Well, it rather surprised me. No offence, and olive groves are all very well, but I would say you could get more out of those grounds. They look fertile".
"And they are".
"Are they?... So... I do not understand. Because it is all nicely divided and quartered, and the irrigation pipes are well placed, and all those irrigation ditches too and waterwheels... they must have cost a fortune. Everything looks ready to start sowing, but it seems abandoned and that, apart from the olive harvest, no work has been done there for years".
"Because that was the case, —replied Septa Welvyna, the second in authority in the community, a woman in her fifties; a vulgar, brutish and full-fleshed being. As a child Arianne had always been afraid of her because she was serious, brusque and always got straight to the point—. We gave it up years ago. We only farm a tenth of our arable land".
"And may we ask why?" —asked the Lady Nym, neatly and elegantly dressed in a purple robe.
Apart from using a spoon, she also had in her hand the sharp two-pronged awl that she used for eating, although the meal they had at that moment did not have a measly piece of meat or fish in it.
"May I answer, Honourable-Mother? —asked a young septa named Aledynne. Hermestine nodded her head in the affirmative—. I was only a novice then. We all worked together for moons, almost without a break. We did it with great enthusiasm, and on the occasions when we faltered, the Smith would breathe strength back into our arms. But all that work was to no avail. We just did not have enough water".
At that moment, her more-than-sister entered, accompanied by Septa Perlanne, a little woman to whom it seemed incomprehensible that Tyene was not a real princess.
Sarella rambled on, unintelligible to Arianne, about mains, measurements and protocols, and according to her, with that complex plumbing system they had, they should have enough water to produce ten times as much as they already did.
"And that is what we thought, —the Honourable-Mother Hermestine picked up the thread of the conversation again—. When your great-grandmother died in 265, Princess Dorella was kind enough to remember us in her will. With that small fortune we made the necessary renovations you can see now to the motherhouse and expanded some parts, including the storehouses, hoping that the Mother Above would grant us another miracle that would allow us to increase production, for example by making our own olive oil. And the miracle came, her name was Elia Martell. When your aunt got married, she did not accept any gifts for herself, but demanded that they be donated to a number of institutions chosen by her personally. And we got a share of our Princess's generosity".
My dear aunt Elia, Arianne was touched by the gesture, although she already knew she was an admirable woman.
She decided that on the day she married she would do the same.
"And what happened next?", she wanted to know.
"When the builders started work at Narrowpool to bring the water here, a furious Septon Vincellor appeared and stopped all the work at once".
"Why was that?" —asked Sarella and Lady Nym at the same time.
"He had a 'paper', —this time it was Welvyna who answered—. A document. We couldn't take any more water than we had to. And not a damn drop more".
"That tongue of yours!".
"I'm sorry, Honourable-Mother".
A murmur of indignation went through the common room.
"That does not make any sense, —said Sarella—. That man is swindling you".
The Lady Nym was raging with indignation, looked at her younger sister hopefully, and waited for the old septa's reply.
"Apparently his septry had been granted a special prebend. For the brave actions of the brothers during the War against the Invader Daeron I, that heartless one they called the Young Dragon," —she stirred her gruel reluctantly.
The old woman did not seem to enjoy reminiscing about that experience.
"And is that document an authentic one? —Sarella was sceptical—. I wish I could read it by myself".
"It seemed so, —the old woman looked forlorn at the memory—, though Vincellor barely let us touch it. The parchment was very old and delicate, but it had all the seals on it".
"And when does it expire?".
"He assured us that never. It is in perpetuity".
"I honestly doubt it. Too bad I am leaving. I am doing it with many desires to meet this man and see that piece of paper of his, —Sarella meditated for a moment—. Although, there must be a copy in the archives of Sunspear. We would have to check with Ricasso".
"It is outrageous".
"Yes, and it is not just the cultivation plots, —it was the first time sweet Septa Verlania, a septuagenarian who was the epitome of goodness, had spoken. Though Arianne knew her late husband was some reachman lord whose head had been chopped off for some petty crime—. it is also the olive oil and the soap. Our beloved sister Perlanne has perfected a procedure that is a delight to the senses. You have seen it for yourselves".
"That is right, —Tyene said, squeezing the little hand of the withdrawn septa. The others nodded in agreement—. You have to keep teaching me how to do more".
Perlanne nodded and smiled sheepishly.
"We need more water to make more".
"I know that is too much to ask, but if we had our own well...".
That is just too much to ask, thought an alarmed Arianne.
"Cannot Prince Doran do something… anything?" —Welvyna asked, turning directly to the Princess.
"But... —she did not know how to get out of this—, did not you say that the main charter is in perpetuity?".
"I do not believe that is entirely true," —Sarella protested.
Arianne glared at her slyly. How easy it was for her to talk like that, as she was leaving...
"Help us, Princess, I beg you, —murmured sweet Verlania, on the verge of sobbing—, for the love of our Merciful Mother, help us. I know that someone who has committed unspeakable sins like mine does not deserve one thing, but all those poor people...".
"Oh, come on, woman, do not be so mawkish, —Hermestine scolded her—. With more resources we could do so much more for this community, so much good for every one of these families... —Fortunately she spoke to everyone and not just for Arianne—. It is made up of very small villages, so we have plenty of needy people to spare. And we are just demanding the water to be distributed more evenly, as provided for in the capitulations of 136. But as it is... Our boys would rather go off into the wilderness and become outlaws. I am told that Sir Gerold Dayne recently cut off the heads of a few not far from here. It pains me to have to confess this, but I would not be at all surprised to hear that it was some of our boys. And the girls... the lucky ones end up as servant-maids in Sunspear or the Plankytown... but we know of several less fortunate ones who have ended up in the pleasure houses of Dorne and the Seven Kingdoms. Some we have been able to save back home, but not a few have been last seen aboard some pirate ship".
Another wave of wailing swept through the hall.
"Pleasure houses? More like chambers of horror. This is outrageous! —Nymeria sputtered—. This Maester Incelord cannot be allowed to continue his indecent misdeeds".
"He is a septon, lovely sister, not a maester, —Sarella corrected—. What else do we know of this man, holy mother?".
Arianne remembered hearing something about him before, but she never paid much attention to such talk. What could be interesting about a septon preaching in a lost village on the edge of the desert?
Well, apparently a lot, the septas told them, including the fact that he was building himself a really expensive stone statue, no less.
"Are you really going to let that man get away with this?" —Nymeria addressed her directly.
"And what do you want 'me' to do?" —Arianne defended herself, dumbfounded.
"Well, I do not know. How about, say, talking to your father, maybe? You are his heiress, remember?", —she suggested in a certain tone.
Arianne felt like replying that if that was the case, why was she the one named Nymeria, then? For by rights, that should have been her name; but whatever… if she wanted Doran to consider such a request, they would have a better chance if it came from Heremias, the servant who emptied his chamber-pot every day, than if it came from her.
At least if it came from him, he would deign to listen.
But she restrained herself.
"Another issue is… taxes, —Aledynne said—. No, it is not that we do not want to contribute our fair share. But... sometimes we find it so hard... because we just do not have enough, although so far we have been able to avoid the penalties. And we have considered the possibility of deferrals, but the interest rates are so high...".
"I cannot help you all there, Honourable-Mother, but we will pay every last star for our stay here," —Arianne assured her.
"And I, when I return from Skyreach, will make a donation to this motherhouse", —Nymeria promised.
"Oh... —replied the elder Hermestine excitedly—. I wish I could refuse your generosity, my girls, I mean... my ladies, may the Father judge me with pity, I know you are grown women now, no longer the little girls I used to know, but that is a luxury we cannot afford. We will be eternally grateful to you, my ladies. And the money will be well spent, that I can assure you".
"You do not know how much good you will do, —said Verlania, sweetly—. We will mitigate some pain, however little, because we have some cases of... theft, yes, but... when certain people steal to eat, can that even be considered a crime? If they do it to survive?".
"For when they steal 'to eat', —Welvyna countered—, they're taking bread from the mouths of others, aren't they? Others who also deserve to survive, and manage to do so in an honest way, so don't these thieves deserve to be punished?".
For a moment, Arianne had the impression that she had lost herself at some point in the conversation.
"Sisters, sisters, —Hermestine clapped her hands together—, it is enough of bothering these sweet young girls with our trifling problems. Come on, come on. Let us finish eating…they have a long road ahead of them and they will need all their strength. —She looked at Sarella—. I would like to ask you a favor, Lady Sarella".
"If it is in my hands, I will do it. You can count on it, Honorable-Mother".
"Just some humble gifts: bars of our soap. For Our-Worshipful-Mother Joseanne, of the Starry Sept, and for the ladies Rhea Florent and Rhonda Rowan".
"Then count on it, mother," —Sarella was touched by the gesture and decided to give Septa Aledynne some gifts as well:
Her inkwell, some ink, a couple of quills, and almost all the scrolls she carried.
In Oldtown she would get more, she reassured them.
—
That same evening, as the sun began to set, they left the motherhouse to meet their guards, who had remained in the village since no men were allowed inside, and mounted their horses.
"Oh, if I cut my hair, it will be less of a nuisance on my journey," —Sarella whispered to herself.
"Are you mad or what? —Arianne, who had heard her, asked in alarm—. Do not even joke about it. —He looked her straight in the eye—. Promise me, you will not. You will not cut your hair. You will not cut that stunning hair of yours".
Sarella smiled sideways and after a few seconds of thought, placed her right hand over her heart.
"I solemnly promise that Sarella Sand will never cut her hair".
"That is good enough for me," —the Princess replied after a few seconds' thought.
"Come on, let us get the out of here already, my ladies" —Nym approached them, already mounted on Winged-Fang, her cream-coloured sandsteed.
"I will see you soon, cousin, —Tyene said, her sweet eyes misty with tears. She had decided to stay a few more weeks, to learn how to make that soap—. But you... I will miss you sisters, especially you my little Saree".
Nymeria narrowed her eyes.
"Just stop making things so difficult for no reason".
"I am not going that far away, sisters", —the youngest of them replied.
"How so? You are going to the other side of the Summer Sea".
"Well... not as far as it seems, —Sarella had insisted, smiling that unfathomable smile of hers—. By the end of this moon, I will have arrived in Oldtown".
[ … ]
"You are so annoying", —the voice of a young girl speaking in whispers rescued Arianne from those bitter-sweet memories.
Elia, —she recognised her cousin's voice—. The star of the day.
"But don't be mean to me, sister. I want to go too. Why can't I go with you?".
"Because you are nothing but a little girl. And stop talking so loud".
Arianne pulled back one of the awning curtains and found her young cousins.
"El, Lala, —she called to them—, what is going on here? What are you arguing about?".
"Nothing," —the older of the two sisters hastened to reply.
It was her name-day.
The fifth sand-snake was now three and ten, already a woman, or so she claimed. But five moons later, and she was still whining every time she had to deal with her moon-blood.
Though less and less.
"They're going up on those rocks to see the pirate ships at sea, and she won't let me go with them".
Obella pointed to a small cliff, not far from where they had camped, though it was on the other side of the fishing village.
And not far from Mayor Isle, —she recalled.
Her sister furiously glared at her.
"See why I don't want you to follow me? You keep bothering me. It's my party and yet you have to get a present too".
Elia Sand folded her arms in indignation, while her little sister embarrassedly clutched the sides of the dress she had been flaunting all morning.
She was already on the verge of tears.
"Come on, El, the dress is not even a new one, —said Arianne—. It was Sarella's. Your mother did not make it up. She just had it altered a little bit, that is all. Do not you like what we gifted you?".
As an example, she pointed to the lance adapted to the size of her hands, which she had not let go of since her grandfather gave it to her, much to her mother's horror.
"Yes, I do —she shrugged—, although my father hasn't given me anything...".
"And who do you think organised this day at the beach for you? —she scolded her—. Come on, let us go with everyone".
They went back under the awning.
—
It was large enough to comfortably accommodate all sixteen guests.
Four myrish carpets had been rolled out on the floor, and a number of tables had been pushed together on top to create an open rectangle. The long side faced the sea, and behind the tables were pillows and cushions to make them all be more comfortable. In the central space of the rectangle there were musicians playing, dancers or jugglers.
In the middle table sat Ellaria, who was talking vivaciously with the young and beautiful Summer islander Rosarya Sixfingers, one of her best friends and second wife of the old Lord Mayor of the Shadow City. She was cradling Leslyn in her arms, the only child her step-daughter Obara had wanted to give birth to.
"Oh, what happened? —Ellaria asked as she saw Arianne approaching with her two eldest daughters—. El, did you fight with your little sister again?".
"I did not fight, mother" —Elia defended herself.
"It was not a fight, —Arianne agreed with her—, just a little disagreement between sisters and it will not happen again, will it, El?".
"Only if she leaves 'me' alone".
Ellaria cocked her head disapprovingly.
Despite being more than two years apart, the two girls had always been close despite how different they were:
Elia was a lively and resourceful girl, always eager for adventure. From the age of seven she already loved horses and spent half the day in the stables, in a kennel or learning hawking and escaping her lessons with her septas.
Obella, on the other hand, was the opposite of her sister: delicate and tender, she liked to dance and sing, she had a melodious voice, she did everything her septas told her to do, but above all, Obella was very prone to tears.
What she did not get with gentleness and words, she got with a few tears, but no matter what, she always has to get her way.
And it worked for her a lot of the time. Especially with her father.
The fact that dornishpeople should not waste water in vain, even if it was their own tears, did not sit well with the sixth sand-snake.
And yet the two girls had always been each other's greatest support.
But Elia had already flowered, and her sister had gone from being an ally to a nuisance almost overnight.
"Poor Lala, —Arianne said, resuming her place at the low table, in the middle of Tyene and Sylva Santagar with her freckles—. I understand her better than anyone. When I was a child, Nymeria would not let me go with her and the Fowler twins either, and I cried and could not understand why I was being pushed away. I asked my uncle for another cousin, one who was like a sister, and he brought you, —she leaned her head on Tyene's shoulder—. Thank you for being my age".
"It was a pleasure to be born around the same time as you, dear cousin".
The irony of the fact that they did the same to Sarella did not escape Arianne, so the poor thing ended up retreating into books.
"And what about me, Ari?" —asked Sylva, her dear friend.
Princess Arianne laughed discreetly before answering.
"And you too, of course". —She did not know what would have become of her without them.
Nor without Drey or Garin.
Those two were dear to her too, like brothers.
"My dear little sister needs friends her own age. She still has two or three years to flower, and until then it will be difficult for her and El to be as close as they were before".
They continued to talk while eating and watching the shows in front of them.
The belly-dancer, now in her late fifties and therefore very talented, danced with a great fluidity of arms and legs to the rhythm of a flute player and two drums, cymbals and the rhythmic clapping of the guests.
Arianne watched her attentively, studying the precision of each movement and trying not to miss any detail, as she would have to repeat them later, since she has a very demanding teacher.
As the routine was about to end, a fat serving-boy came in discreetly and whispered something in Ellaria's ear, who had not missed the dance either, although she was already a formidable dancer.
Everyone applauded as Yonanda finished her dance and was saying her farewells.
—
"Fathaaaa!".
It was Dorea, the one with the short, tousled hair, who had already lost one sandal and had been playing in the sand near the end of a table with some servant children, who first saw the arrival of Prince Oberyn's party.
The Red Viper of Dorne, —Arianne thought with some nervousness.
Among his companions were Lord Uller and his brother, Sir Ulwyck, and there were two other riders so far away Arianne could not recognise them.
The seventh sand-snake, aged six, ran into her father's arms.
"My little one, —he said, lifting his daughter into the air and giving her a heartfelt kiss—. Where is El?".
"Father is... w-what is that? —asked Elia, who went to the entrance of the awning with everyone else—. Grandfather?".
The girl looked in confusion at the filly whose reins Lord Harmen was pulling.
"Do not you like it?". —he asked her granddaughter.
It was a magnificent filly, its coat was a deep black and its mane was pearl grey.
"Is it for me?".
"Well, if you accept it, sure, —Prince Oberyn replied—. Did you really think I was not going to give you anything for your name-day, my brave child?".
"A… a horse? —Ellaria looked disapprovingly at both her paramour and her father—. She is still too young to have her own mount. Why did not you at least consult me first?" —she complained.
"She is already three and ten, —Lord Uller said, surprised at his natural daughter's reticence—. She is more than ready".
"At that age, I had been riding regularly for over a year. —Oberyn looked at his daughter, who was stroking the animal's head—. What are you going to name her?"
"Flower, sister, —Obella answered for her—, call him Flower. He is so, so pretty".
"It is a filly, daughter. A female".
"Ah. Then she's so, so, so, so pretty".
"Flower's a bit namby-pamby, but... —Elia thought for a moment—, I like Wild Flower, —she decided—. She is going to be called Wild Flower. —She looked at her father, seeking his approval.
"Wild Flower? Yes. Why not? I like it, it suits you well enough.
"I do not know, —Ellaria was still unconvinced—, I do not know if...".
"Can I ride her, father? —Elia asked with obvious excitement, ignoring her mother's concerns—. Go on, say yes".
"Just a little and do not go beyond the trot. She is still very young and has no stirrups. Fally, help her".
"Yes, my Prince".
"Oberyn!" —Ellaria was indignant and looked ready to make a scene.
"Come on, woman. It will only be a moment, —he replied, playing down her concerning words—. Let us go inside, shall we? I do not know about you but, as for me, I am very hungry".
Almost everyone went back to shelter from the morning sun under the huge awning.
—
Little Leslyn was already sleeping in a makeshift cot.
"Where is Obara? —Arianne asked as they sat down and poured wine and food for the new arrivals—, I have not seen her with your party".
"She was a little further back, —her uncle replied—. They will be here any minute".
"'They'? Is she coming with someone else?" —Tyene asked.
"Yes. She is coming with Sir Daemon".
Oh, —Arianne thought.
She had not expected him there with them, for some reason.
"Though there are more pressing news at the moment, —Sir Ulwyck Uller informed them—. The latest news from the Seven Kingdoms are rather disturbing".
The music had become deafening again, and different clusters had formed, each engaged in their own conversations. Ellaria was whispering with her friend Rosarya, no doubt complaining about Elia's gift.
"Is there trouble?" —an alarmed Arianne wanted to know.
Tyene and Sylva Santagar were also interested.
"Stannis, —the Prince replied after a long drink of wine, making a great effort to restrain himself from shouting in anger—. The fool has laid siege to Storm's End instead of King's Landing".
"What? —Spotted Sylva said, perplexed—. Is it that he took the wrong way?
"And why did he do that?"
Arianne did not understand it either, but...
"Stannis has proclaimed himself king, as had Renly, because according to the letter my father wishes to keep secret, Joffrey is... —she struggled to say it aloud—... a bastard. So why turn against his own brother?"
"Because he is a chump. —spat Lord Harmen, who had not liked this unexpected turn of events either—, what other reason could there be?"
"I cannot believe it".
"Oh, this is such a disappointment! —Tyene said, putting both palms over her mouth—. How did the Lannisters get him to betray Renly and change sides?"
She immediately began to stroke her cheek with the knuckles of her hand, frowning and pouting.
Arianne reminded that her cousin always made that hand gesture when something disconcerted her or made her nervous.
"The blonde whore must have offered him that overused gaping cunt of hers. This is all the whores of her ilk know how to do well, and Stannis has fallen into the trap like the bald moron he is. He is not the first man, nor will he be the last, to lust after his brother's wife. Tywin Lannister must be prancing about with endless joy," —the angry Prince threw down the cup he had just had filled in fury, though he instantly regretted the good wine that had been wasted.
The musicians made to stop but the Red Viper waved them on.
"It does not matter anyway. With how big the army Renly has assembled is, those two are not going to be able to even tickle him," —Lord Harmen tried to cheer him up.
Oberyn nodded and was asking for another drink when her first daughter and Daemon finally arrived.
And from what they could sense behind the curtains, so did Elia and Fally.
"What is with these faces? —Obara asked by way of greeting everyone present—. Was I invited to a burial instead of a name-day party?"
Everyone greeted the two newcomers.
Tyene rose to join her sister to check on Jacelyn's sleep.
"Where is Rysh?" —Sylva asked Obara as, with childish enthusiasm, she motioned for Daemon to sit in the gap she had left for him.
Such a dumb girl, —Arianne thought as she smiled forcedly.
Now she would have Daemon Sand stuck to her all night long.
"He stayed in Slope-Dove, pursuing his favourite pastime: counting goats and sheeps", —Obara replied.
Her witticism provoked laughter from the small group.
Unlike her husband, Obara did not do very well with the sedentary lifestyle required to be the lady of a small village situated on the border between the white sands of the coast and the red sands of the desert.
Daemon saluted and sat in the gap between Sylva and Arianne.
"Sir, —the young freckled-girl addressed him—, I am sure the sea fish we have today are tastier than what you have at the confluence of Vaith and the Scourge," —she said to prod him.
Godsgrace was the settlement of House Allyrion, and the castle where Daemon grew up, and it lay between those two rivers' tributaries.
"Oh, is that so? —he replied, continuing the jest—. That will have to be proved".
"Prove it, Ari, —Sylva wasted no time and pointed to a small prawn snack on her plate.
She then pulled out a soft orange silk scarf, and set about covering Daemon's eyes as part of their little game.
Why does she always have to do such silly things? —Arianne wondered, but she was not going to be the one to ruin the mood.
"Let us see how much you know about sea fishes, river boy," —the Princess said.
She put her index finger to her lower lip, thinking about which snack to choose, and decided on the one Sylva suggested, dipping it in a dressing made from aubergines, celery and a little bit of onion.
Apart from their little group, no one was paying attention to what they were doing, everyone was immersed in their own conversations, the musicians were playing to the rhythm of two jugglers' games and Elia had peeked out, attracting the attention of several children and some servants to her new filly.
Arianne brought her hand to Daemon's lips.
"Let us see if you can guess this one, river boy", —Tyene teased the young man.
When the food touched his lips, the knight opened his mouth to taste it, but Arianne, who began to get hooked on the game, pushed it away, eliciting giggles from her friends.
The blinded Daemon smiled, causing the pair of dimples that characterised his pretty face to appear, and groped for the Princess's hand, and once he had it in his grasp, he brought it to his mouth.
"Mmm, —he groaned, trying to guess as he finished licking the relish from Arianne's thumb—, crayfish?".
"No!", —Tyene and Sylva shouted at the same time.
"It looks like prawns, does not it?" —Obara tried to guess after taking a small sip of wine.
"That is right, prawns, not crayfish," —said Arianne.
"He has failed this one. Let him try again," —said Sylva, cheerfully.
This time she chose a piece of grilled sardine, dipping it in a tangy lemon sauce.
Daemon nibbled on her index finger after licking it as he tried to guess, but this time he did not get it right either, despite how easy it was.
And he missed the third one too... causing Arianne to begin to suspect that he was failing on purpose, for some reason.
But even though he was clearly enjoying the game, Daemon finally got bored and untied the scarf.
"It has been fun, my ladies, —he finally said as he stood up—, but I think you have already spent too much time on someone as insignificant as me," —he said, looking Arianne straight in the eye, making her feel like it was too hot all of a sudden.
"You never bother, Sir," —Tyene assured him with her sweet voice, reaching out to him.
Daemon bowed in gratitude, and accepted a kiss from the blonde on his cheek.
Then he went to take his place between Oberyn and one of his best friends, Sir Garibald Shells, whom Arianne was seeing for the first time all evening.
"You two have had too much wine already, have not you? —she shouted at her friends, annoyed without knowing why—. And you, spotted-girl, will you ever stop doing 'that'?".
"What should I have to stop doing? —Sylva asked in turn, confused—, What do you mean, Ari?".
But instead of answering, Arianne just narrowed her eyes in annoyance and took a long drink of wine.
And the feast continued.
—
Orders were given to start lighting the torches as the sun began to go down and the sky was tinged with purples, pinks and oranges.
By the time it was well into the night, there was a large bonfire in front of the sea, right at the point where they knew the sea water would not reach when the tide came in.
This was when the real fun really began, at least for those who had not slept under the awning or one of the tents.
At that hour everyone had a full belly but there was still room for more wine and other strong drinks.
Arianne had dared to share a few shots of a tyroshi one made from fermented pears with her friends, but Obara had not wanted to drink too much. She wanted to wake up early and spend the day on Mayor Isle with Jacelyn before returning to Slope-Dove.
The next name-day we are going to celebrate will be hers, —Arianne reminded herself, —and it will be before the next moon is over.
On the other side of the bonfire, her uncle Oberyn seemed to have regained his good humour, at least for the moment, and was enjoying himself with his little gang. At the moment he had an arm around Daemon as he whispered some confidence in his ear that made the younger man crack up with laughter before continuing to listen more.
Arianne decided to stop watching them and concentrate on the game organised by her own group, deciding to ignore the two riders she had seen approaching from afar as well.
"Who are those?" —she heard someone asking
"It is probably just villagers bringing more booze", —she muttered to herself, turning her back on them.
"Hey, whose turn is it now?" —Morra, her servant, asked, holding the metal rings in her hand.
It was Pate the Younger's turn, and he took them all.
"Come on, everyone to your positions", —Tyene squeaked in her little voice, raised her arm, and from her finger one of her rings flashed in the moonlight.
Pate threw the first ring and Sylva's team raised their wooden sticks, ready to catch it.
"It looks like it is Nymeria", —said someone.
"It cannot be her, —another one replied—, the Lady Nym is on a ship bound for Vaith".
Arianne turned to see what all the fuss was about.
"…Nymeria?"
What on earth is she doing here? —she wondered, perplexed, for it was undoubtedly her, for the cream colour of her Winged-Fang was unmistakable.
[ … ]
Nymeria Sand dismounted from her exhausted steed.
She was sweaty and dusty and as tired as her poor mount.
"Nym, my little one, what are you doing here? —asked Prince Oberyn, approaching her and taking hold of the mare's reins—. Why are not you at the Greenblood?".
"Father... —she struggled to articulate—. Water... please... please".
Oberyn gestured and Fally hurried off to fetch a cup of water, as the two horses were led away.
Then the Red Viper took her second daughter in his arms and led her to a secluded spot, where there was less light, but they had a little more privacy.
Arianne, Sylva, Daemon, and the Uller brothers followed.
"When we got to Dolange's barge, —Nymeria began after drinking some water—, I decided to stay there for a few days and wait for a ship to sail up the river to Godsgrace, and from there continue on to Vaith. —Dolange's barge was an inn, half of which was floating on the river while the other half sat on dry land—. But on the very day I arrived, I began to hear a series of rumours that I found worrying enough to change our journey. The next morning, we took the first boat down to the Planky Town".
Obara, Tyene and Ellaria had quietly joined the group.
"What did you find when you got there?" —asked her father, who was never exactly known for being a patient man.
"My uncle Doran, the Prince of Dorne, has ordered us not to publicise the fact that the bastard abominations of Cersei and the Kingslayer sit on the Iron Throne. And that he intends to betroth Trystane to the femme of those loathsome creatures... Well, it is too late, by now every town along the Greenblood knows", —she announced with ill-concealed glee.
"How?"
"There was a galley, the Wraith ... and it belongs to the royal fleet. It is captained by one Dale Seaworth. Do you know who the Onion knight is?".
"Something rings a bell, but ...", —Daemon could not remember who the Onion Knight was.
"He was a halfling thief, a smuggler, —Oberyn said—, but Robert Baratheon raised him to prominence after he managed to break the sea siege of Storm's End. He made a fool of Lord Redwyne, even more than he usually is. That was at the end of Robert's rebellion".
"That is the one, —The Lady Nym nodded, and she took another sip of water—. He and his wife have seven sons, Dale is one of them".
"And what about it?".
"Well, he and his men have been shouting Stannis's letter for weeks for anyone with ears to hear and mouths to repeat their words, by now he must have already reached the Arbor. And he is not the only man on that mission. His father, for weeks now aboard his Black Betha, has been cruising the coasts from Dragonstone to as far north as White Harbor, spreading the same words. And another son, Allard, is doing the same in the Free Cities, on his Lady Marya. By now, rare is who does not know the truth in any port or fishing village from the Narrow Sea to the Summer Sea. And word will come aboard other ships to Oldtown, the Shield Islands and the mouth of the Mander... and even as far as Braavos and Volantis… and the Summer Islands".
"Now, that is it —said Lord Harmen Uller—. There is going to be no stopping the mob when they find out: not only did we marry a Lannister, but she is a damned fraud on top of that, there is not drop of Baratheon blood in her".
"The Kingslayer's bastard", —Obara remembered as she nodded.
"Mother have mercy! —Ellaria put a hand to her chest, and shook her head in horror—. This will bring us nothing but pain and horrors, I feel it".
Oberyn made a great effort to stifle it, but despite the dim lighting, Arianne could see the beginnings of what looked to her like a mischievous smile on his lips.
One that reminded her very much of Sarella.
—
It was the last day of the month, and Arianne wondered if the fourth sand-snake had arrived in Oldtown by now.
…
To be continued…