* PRINCESS / VIPER !

* · ☼ ˙ —  ❝ you seem awfully interested in my future spouse, greyface. are you hoping that it might be you ? ❞

* · ☼ ˙ —  ❝ capability and status. someone who will bring with them a valuable alliance, and has the ability to rule dorne by my side. if i'm lucky, they'll also be good-looking and amusing. but the well-being of my kingdom means more than my whims and wishes. ❞

* · ☼ ˙ — ❝ myria, because she humors me, and i enjoy an excuse to have her around. alaya, because i miss her dearly. most definitely ragna... perhaps a formal invitation would be the excuse greyjoy needs to let her leave those wretched islands for a month or so. and the lord forrester, perhaps. he doesn't seem dreadfully boring, and i do still owe him for the necklace. ❞

honesty hour ! ☼

* · ☼ ˙ — ❝ my father's death. and i don't wish to speak any more of it. ❞

♥ : something they like about your muse.

* · ☼ ˙ — ❝ his sincerity. very few people would have the foresight to bring me jewelry so different from everything i already own. and he seems to mean it... not as though he's doing it for a show. i'm sure that he probably does have some ulterior motive. everyone always does. he wouldn't be the first to come to dorne trying to charm me... but he seems to genuinely want more than political advancement through marriage, and i respect that in a person. ❞

* · ☼ ˙  —  she can feel the smirk growing on her mouth the second the question spills off the others' lips. nothing, she thinks to say, and then reins in her whim. best not give the little birds anything to sing about. ❝ i like that he made the effort to travel here. not very many lords do. especially those of the northern sort. perhaps he has a bit of sun in him after all. ❞ her nose crinkled just slightly. but the curved bow of her lips read nothing but pleasantry. ❝ i like that, too. his sigil... that pale northern sun. surely some bard will write of his time here and make it sound far more poetic than it is. the sun of karhold and the sun of dorne. ❞

It was hard not to be on edge as she sat there, but Eleyna managed to seem almost calm as she reclined back nearby the Princess and her own attention briefly turned towards the beauty of their surroundings. Dorne really was breath-taking, but she still preferred the Stormlands.

The whole of her being here felt somehow wrong, but things are done in the name of diplomacy that you would not usually do, “Do I seem a woman to shy away from a challenge? It was not so bad, at any rate, and I do say the accommodations were well worth the journey.”

It was hard to deny how well they treated their guests – at least those who were invited – there in Dorne; no flight seemed too fanciful or unnecessary. 

It was a city borne of indulgence.

* · ☼ ˙ — how odd, to be seated so casually beside someone professed to be your enemy. two such different women : one fair, the other dark. one a ruler of sun and sand, the other a ruler of wind and rain. perhaps it was no wonder that their kingdoms were at odds. it was as though the gods had crafted them to clash.

reddened lips sipped from her wine once again, a thoughtful hum rattling through her chest softly. after a moment, she relented, ❝ no. but you would not be the first foreign ruler to find the sand swallowing your bones. we dornishmen try to be welcoming. dorne herself does not. ❞

she painted on a faint smile, still playing at the gracious host. between the dornish exports and the yitish gold, no expense was too much to be spared. in dorne, whatever you desired was right at your fingertips. ( with the caveat that all the other kingdoms hated them for it. )

❝ can i help you to some wine ? ❞

She nearly knew Dorne as well as her own home, feeling a connection to her mother in the culture and beauty. So different than the Iron Islands, islands filled with dark stone and flats lands, picked clean of any natural resource and where the people knew blood more than love. 

But such thoughts only made her sad so she focused only on the warm sun and sounds of splashing children as she headed into the palace. After arriving in Sunspear, she had set up her guards in a inn than took her horse and headed towards the Water Gardens alone after being told the Princess was there. 

She slowly made her way past the guards after they checked her weapons and person until she finally reached the princess. 

The woman spoke and she listened quietly until the princess finished. “Your grace.” She bowed fully, from the waist, a gesture she did not even give her own king before she raised her head and smiled. “It is very much worth the trouble, I would find every reason visit Dorne.” She answered. “And it’s Princess.” 

* · ☼ ˙  — how charming. but adelind would expect nothing less from the lady harlaw. a small smile bloomed on her lips, a laugh threatening to spill free, but she reigned in the urge. ❝ then quit with the formalities, my lady. no need to bow to a woman reclined on a bunch of cushions like a lazy cat. ❞

in the presence of a guest, she sat up a little straighter, dark hair spilling down her back and bright orange silks shifting about her frame. she drained the cup of dornish red in her hands, sour on her lips, and set the empty vessel aside. a short distance away, both noble and lowborn children played in flowing fountains.

❝ we are always glad to have you. come, sit with me. ❞ a hand heavily decorated in rings patted the empty cushions at her side. ❝ if you're here to visit, you must relax. ❞

ADELIND MARTELL WARDROBE SERIES.

bronzed as earth, the second lies, hearing ticks blown gold like pollen on bright air ; lulled near a bed of poppies,

she sees how their red silk flare of petalled blood burns open to SUN'S BLADE ; on that green altar

He never felt heat so intense in his life. The northern summers still bitter despite the lack of snow. Brushing sweat from his upper brow, it was difficult to imagine why anyone would want to live in such a place.  Despite the lush landscape through out the castle, he could only see endless dunes of sand beyond the heavily guarded palace. “That is not much of a surprise, your grace.” It was difficult to mask the sarcasm in his tone. “Traveling through the blistering heat is not something particularly enjoyable.” His gaze fell back to the woman beside him, tempted to tell her that despite the lavish palace the conditions were not what he desired. Even with a light tunic and breeches, it remained a constant distraction. “But I have been told the Dornish are generous hosts, I doubt I will be proven wrong.” 

Blistering heat. She thought to snort, but didn't. In the face of his barbed sarcasm, she smiled. But her flashing teeth and curved mouth held an edge like a blade : sharp enough to cut. ❝ Of course not, you poor thing. I forget that you northerners have no idea how to deal with it. On the journey back, you might try wearing looser clothing. Black will keep your skin from burning so easily. And veil your head. It sounds counter intuitive, I know, but a lot of loose clothing is better than little clothing at all. Wicks the heat away from your body. ❞ Smooth, she slipped out of her seat. Here in the mild air of the Water Gardens, she hadn’t bothered to veil her head, and her gown was light silks that fluttered pleasantly in the wind. She gestured for him to take her seat, which was ( admittedly ) perhaps a little more shaded by the orange trees overhead, and was better positioned to catch the breeze. In lieu of sitting, she moved to a small table and poured a cup full of chilled wine — Dornish red, mixed with rum and fruit and ice. ❝ Not if I can help it, no. I strive to please. ❞ If only to cease his complaining. She held the cold cup out to him in deft fingers, one brow arching. ❝ All those pale suns on your banners, Lord Karstark. Now you’ve finally, truly met her. ❞

Jealously plagued her at the words spewed from the woman beside her. If only she were ever allowed to go whenever her desires took her. “You are very lucky. “ She whispered more to herself than the other. “Have you ever visited the Stormlands? I hear the weather can be quite violent and erratic. I have always wanted to see one of their famous autumn storms in person.” Her tastes perhaps different than the girls who only wanted to see the pretty gardens her former home once offered. “I haven’t. But I only hear wonderful things. I should like to visit sometime and see Sunspear, if I ever had the opportunity of course.”

❝ I fear I'm not very well liked in the Stormlands. It's been many a year since I've stepped foot there. ❞ And she had little desire to go back. Like a desert snake, she was most comfortable in the sun. Rain made her irritable. But she could sense the girl's envy, and not only because she'd heard her whispered words. Her neck craned slightly in Ragna's direction, as though the following words were meant for her ears only. And like a painter working at a canvas, she said, ❝ It's the most beautiful place in the world. Sunspear is a sight to behold. The Yitish nobles have only added to the place... It's a veritable paradise. And of course, the Water Gardens are the jewel of my heart. ❞ She was biased, of course. ❝ You're welcome to visit any time that you please. Anywhere in Dorne that you would like to see. ❞

“Princess Adelind.” He greeted happily, he was happy to travel and do things for his kingdom and he knew when his mother suggested that he was the one to go it was for more then just sending a noble to meet with a royal, she had lofty dreams that he would marry a royal or a noble of a larger house to advance the Forrester name. Brenden was in thin dark fabrics that still stuck to his skin with sweat but which was much more bearable then his usual attire. Walking up the cool marble steps he bowed to her. “That she is not, but the journey however bad is very worth it to reach you.” He smiled as he straightened. “I am sure you would fine Ironrath as I find Dorne, beautiful but dangerous in its own right.” He smiled kindly.

“I have a gift for you.” He added as he turned back to his men to receive a box. Stepping towards the princess he bowed again to his knee and opened the box for her revealing a beautiful golden necklace adorned with stars and at the center a full moon. “I hope this will be to your liking princess.” He said gently.

Her eyes fell to the necklace he held out for her. It was gold, as most of her jewelry was. But unlike the rest of it, it was not spears or suns or snakes. A moon and stars might be more fitting for a Dayne, but she found herself smiling anyway. ❝ It is lovely, Lord Forrester. I shall treasure it always... but I fear I can only repay you with my hospitality. ❞ She hadn't had a gift made. But she reached out toward the necklace in the box, fingertips brushing over the golden stars lightly. It was beautiful.

After a short moment, she drew her hand away. Dark eyes were glittering subtly with amusement, shallow dimples pressed into the otherwise smooth flesh of her cheeks. ❝ I know the heat must be too much for you. Come inside, sit with me, have some chilled wine. ❞ She gestured toward the entrance of the palace ; a pair of ornate doors set beneath intricate archways, at the top of the stairs she had descended from only a moment ago. Jewelry jingling softly, she gathered the fine silk of her skirts in one hand and started that way herself, not sparing a backward glance. She expected him and his men to follow. ❝ It's the least that I could do. You must tell me how your journey went. ❞

adelind nymeros martell. ☀️

For a moment she hums, as though trapped in thought. A soft swish of moving silk as her head tilts, the veil loosely draped across her crown shifting. ❝ I like her curiosity. Or maybe it's restlessness, discontent... Whatever it is that makes her want to see more of the world. So few people do. ❞ Were she being honest, Adelind couldn't quite put into words what she thought of the girl. Pity wasn't it. She pitied ill children and hurt animals. It stirred in her chest, something like what she felt when reading stories of princesses trapped in towers when she was a girl. The unnameable, unfounded desire to tear down those tall stone prisons, place the princess on a ship with a sun and spear on its sails, and say, There ! There is the whole of the world at your fingertips. Go and see it. Her brows raised, the depth of her thoughts not showing upon her face. ❝ There is a fire in her heart... one can only hope that being bound to a greyjoy doesn't drown it. ❞