Prescribe Not Us Our Duties.

“If this marriage is to mean anything at all, it must begin with how we receive one another.” A faint smile touched her lips. “Your people have already set a gracious example. I should like to believe mine will prove equally wise.”

In the back of the Princess's mind, there was a inkling, a thought from her old history lessons. The Reach and Dorne were once enemies, not long ago. Logically the Princess knew that maybe the same peace could happen with Martell and the Targaryens.

Unfortunately, Eleana was not the logical type.

"You believe your people, aligned with the crown will. I have yet to see otherwise" She said allowing her voice to whine.

Triston lingered at the edges of the great hall, hands clasped primly behind his back as he watched the other lords, ladies, and lieges of the realm stumble their way through the intricate steps the Dornish instructors patiently guided them through. The music was lively and he found himself humming along although he did not know the tune. He had always loved to dance, and more than once over the years had been praised for the grace and ease with which he took to the dance floor but Dornish dances required precision and swift steps that intimidated even him. Partners wove together and fell apart in complex patterns, each step flowing into the next.

Ordinarily, he would have been among them already but he had to admit he was feeling uncertain about his ability to keep up. Given a year, he did not doubt he could master them well enough — given a season, perhaps. Instead he had only days before the wedding festivities and every mistake would be made before all the nobility of Westeros.

His gaze wandered over the room, searching the groups of those practicing the dances. Most of them had already paired off and were laughing at their missteps or quietly correcting one another. He considered asking someone if he might join them only to dismiss the thought almost as quickly as it came.

There was little shame in ignorance when everyone was learning but Hightower pride was a stubborn thing. He had no desire to spend an hour apologizing each time he accidentally stomped upon some lady's delicate slipper nor was he particularly keen on being remembered as the Reachman who could not keep pace with a simple Dornish measure. Better, perhaps, to watch another turn, commit the steps to memory, and gather his courage before making a fool of himself.

Even so his eyes continued to drift from pair to pair, searching for a face that looked as uncertain as his own. Surely he could not be the only one hoping someone else would ask first.

Despite her bruises and scratches from the previous fight in the water gardens, Gwin moved gracefully to sample what was offered.

Her cruel eyes scanned the crowd, focusing on each dancer they landed on. Most gossiped about the dual fights, the underlying tension that undercut the jaunty mood, and of course her brother's exploits. Gwin's searching eyes met with Triston's true ones. Lending a shark-toothed smile, Gwin approached her prey.

"My Lord, you seem lost. Do you not like dancing?" Gwin said with a deceiving friendliness, shifting her arm across the blade she keeps hidden in her sleeve. She tilted her head with a slightly unhinged grin. "It can drive someone to madness, being alone" Quietly, she leaned towards Triston's ear "We would not want that now, would we?"

"You have been locked to the land too long, Andrik. Lost track of how we make a deal" Gwin hissed. "The Drowned God calls all true ironborn eventually" She allowed her own cruelty to show against Andrik once again. "You will be lucky if you're even accepted back by our isles"

the chaos had given way to a sort of uneasy calm. the amusement he'd derived from the brawl and its immediate consequences had died down as he picked his way through what remained of the grand encampment. myles moved as carefully as anyone who'd had as much to drink as was sloshing about in his system possibly could. funny, he thought, that the best night ( or morning ) of sleep he'd had in recent times had been under a collapsed pavilion. a snuffled laugh escaped voluntarily and he kicked something underfoot out of the way and he muttered to himself, "when fate hands you lemons..."

The Velaryon walked on the outside of the ruined pavilion, bending over to gather some of the rubble. She startled when she felt a warm hand grasp her sleeve like it was the only stable thing in the room.

The only thought that came through Rhaena's mind was that poor man. He looked desperate and in need of nutrition. "I was trying to help" She said with truth. "Though I fear you may need it more than the pavilion does"

"His name is Tradewind. I am sure he enjoys the attention" Rhaena offered Myria a smile as she spoke, to show she had no ill will or distrust towards the Dayne. "May I ask what the token is?" She was still a bit wary that Myria may injure her horse to gain an advantage in the race.

In truth, Rhaena wanted to be alone more than anything that morning. Her destrider often relieved a lot of pressure from her role as a noble woman. Helped her ignore the current chaos collapsing around her. "I wanted to be alone, but I fear that has been ruined" She said with a half-joking lilt. "I am not planning to win. Merely to explore"

"i have never been against you." the words were quiet, though no less certain for it. "and i do not believe i ever shall be."

she let her hand fall back into her lap.

"but if you are asking whether i stand against this alliance, then i cannot, cousin. i love dorne no less than you do. i love our family no less than you do." there was no reprimand in her voice, only gentle conviction. "that is precisely why i hope this marriage brings more than politics. i hope it gives us peace."

she reached over, giving eleana's hand a gentle squeeze.

"and if, in the end, you still insist on greeting the future with a scowl," she teased, an attempt to lighten the heaviness of their conversation. "then i suppose i shall simply have to smile enough for the both of us."

"Peace, but for how long?" Eleana asked, half whine half anxious. She did not trust them to not come back and destroy everything once the Dragon King became bored once more.

She squeezed her cousin's hand back, looking back with watered eyes. "I fear you may have to smile forever then" Unless something spectacular happened, Eleana was most likely not going to be in a better mood.

"I hope something terrible happens to that prince and princess" Eleana spat out those words before she could process what she was even implying. "My life is being ruined" She said with a weep.

starter: closed for @glittxeringgold @ofchrysalism @sacrificeys

She took a deep sip from her tankard. "We should have been present to take those limbs, dear brother" Gwin narrowed her eyes at Dominic, suspicious about his wear abouts. One of the Harlaw siblings had to represent true Iron Born culture while in Dorne and it was disappointing neither led the charge. "Where were you during the fight?" She had no doubt her twin had gotten into other trouble. Probably found his way into some poor woman's bed "I had my eye on Lord Manderly and I'm disappointed neither of us had the chance to feel his bones crunch"

There were whispers of what was to come. Rhogar wanted no part of it. Not anymore. If they had any insight, no one wouldn’t listen. Even so, there was nothing they could do to stop it - the world would continue to endure, as it only became more scrutinizing towards those with Valyrian heritage. The Tullys seemed to somehow be the only ones to find hope in them, and some day, Rhogar hoped that wasn’t the case.

When Rhaena had left dinner, Rhogar had followed suit. Decades ago, their interests intertwined too well. Their natural habitats have remained the same despite their seats changing. The seeds of Rhogar’s distinct personality were sown in Dragonstone, but the loneliness crept in fully at Harrenhal.

Now, Rhaena was to be wed for political alliance. After a year of marriage for alliances, Rhogar understood the wanting to run. Yet, Marissa had crept into their heart and remained there despite their attempts to throw it out. Love took time and deliberate attempts, something they had no idea how to start. At least, not in the largest seat in the realm. Time had gone by and they could not change it. Seven hells, no one could change Aegon’s or Deria’s mind about the marriage they were there to attend. What an alliance that will be!

"I did not think I could listen to my fate being discussed as casually as the weather" Rhaena shrugged. Rhogar had been betrothed and seemed to not be bothered by their arranged relationship. If she was lucky, maybe the same would happen to Rhaena.

She wasn't going to chance it.

"I was going out for a ride, if you and Menyce wanted to join" She extended an invitation. There were things she had to discus with her friend that the rest of court may not want to hear.

The decision of running away, for one, before her vows entrapped her.

“I imagine Dorne may do him some good…” She could only hope it would. Whether she dreaded more the thought of leaving him to his own devices in a foreign land or the silence his absence would leave behind, she could not have said.

A quiet laugh escaped her. “It is rather strange to imagine a future in which an entire kingdom will stand between us.” Her gaze drifted briefly through the orchard before returning to Eleana. “I imagine you feel much the same about your sister.”

"I feel much differently about my sister" Eleana had thought up creative ways to stop the wedding, but many were plainly out of reach for the situation the young Princess found herself in. "I cannot imagine she will be received in gentle hands as your sibling will be"

Location: A winesink in the Shadow City, two days after the incident at Lemonwood.

She downed her drink and made her way to Andrik. The poor Greyjoy always carried with him a air that belonged more in the Crownlands than the Iron Isles. Too much time spent as a ward and not learning the way of the Ironborn had made Andrik soft in her eyes.

"The fights would have been messier if the fault was ours" With so many Ironborn representatives in the area, it should have been. There were so many valuables and for what? Not a chance to even damage them? "True Ironborn would have no need for drink to cause twice the damage" Gwin said scathingly to Andrik. The entire fight was pathetic. Her own crew could have caused twice the damage in half the time on nothing but brine.

"Where did you find it?" Eleana's mood had gone quickly from lamenting to fear that Casella would tell her older siblings or mother. "I mean, thank you for returning it" She quickly made up.

Location: Desert Caravan Ride

Although Casella was captivated by the sights and sounds they were being shown, she was equally fascinated in the camel she had been given to ride. She'd never encountered one before. Outside of Dorne they didn't exist elsewhere on the continent, being much more plentiful across the Narrow Sea. The creature's name was Sarhoy, after an ancient Rhoynish city and although incredibly calm, the noblewoman could tell he had a significant strength. Glancing across to the lady riding beside her in the Caravan, the Riverlander studied the other's steed for a moment, smiling. "Have you ever seen a camel before? I suppose if you've been to Dorne before you must have. They truly are intriguing beasts. They almost look as if someone tried to assemble a cow or something or the sort but got bored along the way and made changes."

"I have! I've even found different species" Rhaena eagerly pat the long, curved neck of her own camel. The keeper had told her the camel's name was, similarly also a Rhoynish city, Chroyane. To her knowledge it was a ruined city so she hoped it did not reflect on the camel's personality. "Some have one hump while others have two" dromedary, Rheana was pretty sure that was what the ones with one hump were called. "Though I expect these creatures are quite a shock to some of the nobles present"

Sometimes it was moments like this that made him wish he was not so bleak. kaito would forget he did not need to be so literal with his replies. But her comment made him stop for a moment.

Why could her family not be given the luxury of choice? They were more than nobility from Dorne, they were royalty! It was the least they deserved. "We should be given the choice for a perfect world. Not suffer in one not designed for us" Eleana knew she would most likely never come close to power being the youngest, but if she was in charge she would make sure those dragons never saw the desert again!

It pained him to admit that she was right but he would never tell her that. She would never let him hear the end of it just like when they were children causing mischief all over the islands. "As of the dragons would ever stop us. The Greyjoys are busy keeping them pretty happy while stripping us away of who our people are." He said with a bit of venom towards the crown.

"Surely they won't stop us after we earn our profit" If anyone got in their way, Gwin had a special way of silencing people she did not like. Her hand fiddled with her necklace that held a human tongue in it. A tongue of some poor Northrener nobody that she carved out herself. "It is only our culture after all" She gave her brother one of those all too sweet smiles.

Emeric had ridden this route many times before. He knew every rise and fall of the golden dunes, every stand of Sandbeggars, and every sun-bleached ruin half-swallowed by the sands. He knew the stories that went with them as well. His father was an Orphan of the Greenblood so they were not so distant to him as they were to others in Dorne, their tales had been his bedtime tales and cradle songs long before maesters had taught him his histories. 

Some amongst the guides were even kin to him, cousins twice removed and a great aunt and at one shaded stop still to come, he knew one of his father's natural born children, his half-sibling, was awaiting their arrival. Such meetings were common enough along the Greenblood, the river remembered its own.

Still, there was joy in seeing it all through unfamiliar eyes. Watching the others take it all in — their wonder, their questions, the spark of discovery lighting their faces — made the old sights seem new again. 

Besides, it gives plenty of time to spend with friends, old and new. 

Emeric nudged his camel onward with a light press of the heel of his boot. The beast shifted into an easy trot with no further direction, carrying him as smoothly as his own sand steed would.

It had been too long since he had last seen Princess Eleana Martell. Not since he had left his place in the service of Sunspear and returned to Starfall to assume his new duties as ruling Lord.

He drew alongside her with an easy smile.

 "Behaving yourself?" he asked, cheerful as ever.

Emeric suspected he already knew the answer.

It might have even made the youngest Princess feel better with her current situation regarding her siblings.

Maybe it was best not to think of the betrothals now. Crying in frustration was not the ideal feeling to have on top of a camel.

The Dayne had been close to her ever since her childhood, being knighted at Sunspear at such a young age. It was pleasant to have someone around close to her age at the time, trying to include him in games with her siblings despite Emeric's duty.

"I am staying out of trouble. I promise" She answered Emeric. Secretly, Eleana was thinking of ways to disrupt the celebration to bring attention to her anger. "Nothing concerning you, of course" The youngest princess played on her perceived innocence. Though, she suspected Emeric could tell that she was lying. He had spent too much time guarding her to not.

she approached, settling beside the fountain rather than standing over her cousin. for a moment, she simply listened to the steady trickle of water, allowing the silence to settle naturally between them before eleana's voice finally broke it. amira's smile was a small one, touched more by understanding than amusement.

"there are parts of it i am," she admitted honestly. "seeing our family together. welcoming those who have come so far. watching sunspear so full of life."

her gaze drifted across the rippling water before returning to eleana.

"but i think those things can exist alongside uncertainty. it is no small thing, watching the future arrive before you've decided whether you're ready to greet it.""

Did not mean she would not try to delay it.

Her mind was full of plans to discourage the Targaryens from showing interest in the ruling house of Martell, though she did not dare tell a soul.

"The future will not get a warm greeting from me" Eleana crossed her arms and sulked harder. Her cousin may have previously shown the same suspicion, but it was more welcoming to the peace that came with it than Eleana was. "Are you with me or against me, dear cousin?"