Chapter 80: Dorne

Dearest brother,

All is well here; Mother says she will be back in Winterfell by the week's end.

I am looking forward to her return, as Rickon has turned into a sullen monster, none of us are able to get him to behave.

But that is not why I have written to you.

The Wildling invasion at the Wall was defeated and the Wildling King was captured. Uncle Benjen has written to say that he intends to execute the man for desertion-apparently, he was a Ranger of the Night's Watch. Most of the wildlings died during their attempt to storm the wall, those that did not die have retreated further north than anyone thought possible.

All except for one man and his family.

The man is named Tormund Giantsbane and he wishes to bend the knee.

Do you want me to send him south, or shall I act as proxy for you?

Yours truly,

Bran

Robb put the letter down and sighed. It was good that the wildlings had been dealt with and that they weren't going to cause any issues. But this wildling who wanted to bend the knee was something else. Robb knew that he should probably command the man south to swear fealty, but he had so much other stuff to handle that he didn't really want to add this to the pile as well. He'd bring it up with Myrcella later.

Right now, he had to handle the Dornish issue. "Let them in." he told Ser Jaime. The man nodded and opened the door, and in walked Tywin Lannister, Mace Tyrell and Renly Baratheon. Tywin and Mace made sense, largely because one was a wanted man in Dorne and the other because he had interacted with them the most. Renly was there largely because he might gain some insight from Prince Oberyn's activities.

The men bowed then took their seats. Once they were seated, Robb spoke. "So, the Dornish have been here for a few weeks now. What are your thoughts on them?"

Lord Tywin went first. "They are playing a very clever game. They've delivered Viserys Targaryen's head and are now slowly ingratiating themselves into the economy by placing orders with seamstresses, blacksmiths and butchers. They're winning the common people over with their extravagant spending. But their core purpose remains the same."

"And what is that?" Robb asked, though he knew exactly what their core purpose was.

"To get revenge for the murders of Elia Martell and her children. Which means they are going to find a way to remove Gregor Clegane sooner rather than later." Lord Tywin said.

"And do you object to that?" Robb asked. He knew that his grandfather in law often used the Mountain to do things that no other person would consider sane.

"I believe that if a tool has served its purpose, it is better to remove it than to allow it to rust." Lord Tywin answered.

Renly laughed. "How cold-hearted."

"But, Lord Tywin is not wrong." Mace Tyrell said. Robb shifted his focus to the Lord of Highgarden. The man had become a bona fide courtier despite the fact that Robb knew he wanted a place on the Small Council. "The Dornish have long been after Ser Gregor Clegane for what happened during the Sack. And I know Obery Martell well enough to know that despite his friendliness now, he will eventually strike. And when he does, it will be chaotic and messy."

"So, better to get things done now when we can control it." Robb surmised.

"Exactly, Your Grace." Mace agreed.

"A melee then, where everyone can compete including Oberyn and the Mountain and no one need think that they are being set to fight one another." Robb decided.

"That would work, Your Grace might want to put in a few choice favourites into the melee as well, to ensure that the nobles of court do not get suspicious." Lord Tywin suggested.

Robb nodded, he'd consider who would work well and move forward with that. He then looked at Renly and asked. "And what have you learned?" He had tasked Renly with both shadowing Prince Oberyn during the man's visits to the more disreputable parts of the city, and to keeping an eye on Varys' little birds.

Renly decided to focus on Varys' little birds. "From what I have been able to find, the Spider's little children receive packages every third day. Usually at the docks, from there, they hand them off to older children near the seedier areas of the city and finally, the information gets to the Spider's hands."

Robb nodded and gestured for the man to continue. "His information from Dorne has come in uninterrupted for years now. A regular stream for about twenty years."

"So, he most definitely knew that Viserys Targaryen had landed." Tywin said.

"Yes." Renly answered.

"Why did he not share that with you, Your Grace?" Mace asked.

Robb didn't answer immediately, but he remembered something that Arya and Bran had once said to him, that they'd overheard Varys speaking to a man in the crypts where the dragon skulls were kept. He looked at Renly and said. "Have your contacts explore the crypts under the Keep."

Renly raised an eyebrow but nodded all the same. Robb then looked at Tywin and spoke. "And have your men keep an eye on the docks, especially ships coming from Dorne."

If Varys was a traitor, Robb would find out and handle him accordingly.

The cold of winter had not prevented the flowers from being colourful. They walked passed roses, daffodils and a score of other plants that were in a word showing off. Myrcella smiled as she walked past them, the one thing she and her mother had truly agreed on had been the need for a nice garden.

A nice garden could change everything. It could make the darkest days seem a little brighter and it could make the best of days even better. Only some Targaryens had cared about their gardens. Daeron the Good, Aenys the Dreamer, Aerys I and surprisingly King Maekar had as well. They'd all had very good gardens.

Under King Aerys II, the gardens of the Red Keep had wilted or been changed to grow only the few things that the Mad King cared about. Usually intoxicants and stimulants. Father had had those removed and then Mother had brought in her love of gardens from Casterly Rock. She'd worked with Myrcella on the gardens when Myrcella had grown old enough to understand.

It was a habit that she was determined to pass onto her own children. Right now though, she was using this walk through the garden to speak with a woman who clearly had a hold of the Viper of Dorne. Ellaria Sand. The woman was tanned, with dark hair, she was beautiful, that much Myrcella could see.

But there was another message that was behind why Oberyn Martell had brought his paramour to King's Landing. A complete breech of etiquette. But one that was clearly meant to mean something and Myrcella intended to find out what.

"How does King's Landing compare to Sunspear or to the Free Cities, Lady Ellaria?" Myrcella asked. She'd done her reading on Oberyn Martell and she knew he'd taken his paramour and their children with him when he'd gone on his brother's business.

She glanced at the woman and noted with some satisfaction-perhaps it was petty but it mattered-that she was much taller than her. The woman's voice was however quite sultry. "I find that King's Landing has much to offer. Every day I discover something new and exciting. A market for swords, a market for spears and a market for poison." Myrcella hid the confusion there was no market for poison, unless she meant the Alley of Brothels. "The Free Cities for all their lustre do not have quite so much choice. If one wants to commit a sin in the Free Cities, one must move heaven and earth to find a place to go to, apart from in Lys. But in King's Landing it seems everything is available."

"And that does not worry you?" Myrcella asked. She wanted to see how far she could probe before the woman got testy.

"Worry me?" Ellaria replied as if she was confused by the very concept. "Why would such a thing worry me?"

"So much temptation, and so much opportunity. It might drive a person mad." Myrcella said simply.

She glanced at the woman and saw that Ellaria had caught onto her meaning for the woman was smiling. "I have no need to fear temptation or opportunity. I know where my star is and I know how to come back home."

"I see." Myrcella said.

"That is the issue with many of you north of Dorne, you do not know how to control yourselves. You see all the opportunities and you cannot help but go completely into it. Indulgence is a sin, but experiencing it is not." Ellaria replied.

"I agree with you." Myrcella said. She did not want to indulge or experience another man, Robb was more than enough for her, and she knew the same held true for him. But she did agree that many of the Westerosi could not handle more than one despite demanding it.

They continued walking in silence for a time, then Myrcella asked. "Do you miss your daughters when you are away?"

"Terribly." The woman admitted. "Your Grace is a mother, so you must understand." Myrcella nodded, she did, and she hadn't even travelled away from the capital since their birth. "But, it makes the reunion ever sweeter."

Myrcella smiled and decided to spring the trap. "Would you prefer it if you could see them more regularly?"

"I would, but I know not how to make that possible." Ellaria replied.

"I can find places for them here in the capital. Amongst the nobles of the court. I can ensure they are housed in the best accommodation possible." Myrcella said. Not in the Red Keep of course, they were the bastards of a bastard, but close.

She glanced at Ellaria and saw something like conflict on her face.

Eventually the woman answered. "I thank you for the offer Your Grace, might I have leave to speak with Oberyn about this before giving an answer?"

"Of course." Myrcella replied, happy, the woman was good, but she wasn't that good.

The hour was late, and he was exhausted. He wanted nothing more than the remove his armour and get into bed, and that was exactly what he was going to do when he got back to the White Tower. For now, though he had to walk.

The King had finally gone to bed about twenty minutes ago, just as the moon was at its height. He had been reading through paperwork and signing out orders for the construction of a new building in Harrenhal. He'd also been working on improving the roads within King's Landing and before that, he'd been approving the purchases of new weapons and defences for the Red Keep.

Jaime had to admit that he was deeply impressed by the King's work ethic. The man worked and worked and worked. The only time he seemed to stop was when he was with Myrcella and their children. That was a sign of a man who was dedicated to the Kingdom and to its betterment. Something that Westeros had been lacking since King Aerys had come to the throne.

Oh, he knew that father had worked as hard, but father had done things for his own legacy. Not for the betterment of the Kingdom. Perhaps that was why father was happy to work under the King, not for. There was a difference there. The former meant that father knew exactly what his place was in the hierarchy, whereas the latter meant that father would push boundaries.

"Ser Jaime?" A voice called out. Jaime stopped and turned. A figure was moving toward him in the dim light.

"Yes?" He replied, his hand slowly moving toward his sword.

The figure came into view properly and he breathed a sigh of relief. Oberyn Martell was stood before him, dressed in the dark orange of his house.

"Prince Oberyn, how might I be of assistance?" Jaime asked.

"I wanted to ask you a few questions if you don't mind." The man replied.

"About?" Jaime asked.

"Elia." Oberyn replied.

Jaime took a silent breath. "Of course." He'd been expecting this.

"You were there with her for the year that the war raged. You were there before the war started. Did you notice anything different about her?" Oberyn asked.

Jaime shifted from one foot to the other. "I…"

"As in, did you notice a change in her behaviour? Harrenhal was when you joined the Kingsguard and when that idiot gave the crown to Lyanna Stark. Was there anything you noticed there?" Oberyn asked.

"I was kept in King's Landing, Prince Rhaegar and Princess Elia were on Dragonstone. I did not truly meet Princess Elia or her children until they were brought to King's Landing. And then things were going in such a way where she was kept isolated." Jaime replied. "She was not given a Kingsguard to protect her after Prince Rhaegar left. I was kept with the King at all times."

"I see." The Prince replied seemingly disappointed, he turned and started walking away.

"Prince Oberyn," Jaime said then. The Prince stopped and turned to look at him. "Had I known what would happen, I would have done everything I could to protect the princess and her children."

"I know." The man replied before he turned around and walked off.

Jaime remained where he was for a moment, his emotions running wild.