LOVE TO GIVE

Something she understood. He supposed that was true. They had a queen from the Dorne now, but she was more Andal than the Rhoynar Dornishmen from the East. Rickard laughed, the idea that the direwolves were well behaved. “Should you see one in the wild I would suggest getting away from them. But never run.” The Stark direwolves only behaved as they did for their masters, from the people who were connected to them, he and Robb by spirit. “I have heard of the creatures of Dorne, of course I’ve never seen those myself.” 

"I’M NOT sure i'd be able to keep my composure enough not to run away should i come across a wild wolf." she admitted sheepishly. she'd spent most of her life within the safety of the walls of well defended keeps, whenever she ventured outside it was with the company of her far bolder acquaintances and a dozen guards, she'd never really known fear. true fear, that was. "perhaps you should come and visit us in sunspear then. the worst creatures tend to stay away, but it's not uncommon to come across some lethal snake while walking the streets of the town. i should like to see one brave as you facing down a dornish snake." she continued with amusement.

                       “THE CHILDREN are the ones suffering the most,” she lied,” having them confined to chambers all day and night is making the restless and of course they don’t really understand why, it breaks my heart.” It did made her sad for her children, but it also drove her insane to have her freedom so questioned all of a sudden. Not even back home, at the islands, had she been monitored like so. She had been free to roam, come and go, and perhaps that had been the reason she had found it so easy to leave with Augustine, so sure that they would make it to the reach before the iron born would be able to catch them. Long enough for them to be married and not be able to touch her. “ I really wish I could take them home, but it must be like so for everyone here, children or not. Being kept away from ones place is not an easy task.” 

“I CAN imagine.” elia remembered the days of her childhood all too well, how even she, weak as she had been could never be contained to her chambers. how she and all the children she spent her days with longed to be free, out in the world. she couldn’t imagine children who had been raised in the reach were adapting very well to a city like this very well. “not at all. i know i miss my own home dearly, the rest of my family does too.”

“where she goes, i go.” ella shrugged easily. despite their… issues and her own inability to commit: there wasn’t a place that ella wouldn’t follow ari to, be it the ends of the earth or even in death. ( she only hoped to god ari kept her around long enough to show that devotion. ) “but we are both fine. slept through the night, awoke to the news.” she sighed, shaking her head as a slight frown creased her brows. “they better capture this fool soon. i do not like spending so much time in the capital if i can help it.”

“GOOD.” she said, her head dipping into a nod. she and arianne had never really spoken about obella, she didn’t quite understand their relationship but it was clear to anyone that obella cared for her sister and it warmed elia’s heart to know that there was someone watching over arianne. perhaps looking after her, protecting her, in a way that elia had never been able to. “i’m sure they will and then we can return home and forget about this horrid trip entirely.”

“i do not know.” she sighed, frowning softly. she glanced over the rooms elia had, her gaze eventually falling out of the open windows, breeze softly rustling through. “a part of me is afraid to return. that if i do… i won’t ever leave again.” and she couldn’t have that, could she? her home was in storm’s end, now — no matter what her personal feelings were on the matter. “it all seemed so easy those summers in sunspear didn’t it?” ali murmured, her tone soft and nostalgic. “like nothing could touch us… and all that mattered was where we would swim and what games to play.”

JUST hearing aliandra speak had elia’s throat tightening up, tears beginning to swim in her eyes. she understood more than she could possibly put to words. those early summers defined her life, she clung desperately to those memories in the darkest times to remind herself that there was good in the world. a life like the one she had been so privileged to lead for those less fortunate was what she fought for with every breath. “i wish things could have stayed as easy as they were then.” she sighed wistfully, chewing on her lip trying to think of what she could say to comfort the other girl.

Perhaps he should have planned better ways to actually talk to her, questions or something he wanted to say. But he saw her and the words blurted without him truly thinking it. “I was just… are the two of you close?” Davos would try, that was something he was actually decent at.

SHE tried not to let her hesitation show on her face, there was something so strange about his manner. he seemed uncomfortable to elia, a woman who considered everyone she encountered a dear friend. but it warmed her heart to hear him asking after aliandra, glad to know that even if she did miss home her husband was trying at least. “i would certainly like to think so. why do you ask?”

“I am,” he nodded, “This is not the first time I’ve dealt with this problem.” Nor would it be the last he was sure. “I thought you from your dress, and I suspect you wouldn’t My Lady, I am Ascar Reed, my family rule over the Neck. We rarely travel beyond our lands but in my studies I’ve read great things of Dorne, it sounds like an incredibly interesting place to visit.”

WARMTH crept across elia’s cheeks, pride for her homeland eliciting another smile from the princess. “reed...” she mumbled to herself, thinking back to all those lessons she’d been put through in childhood. she’d never paid as much attention as she should have, her mind always drifting to more exciting things. “oh, yes. i’ve heard of your family. if you do decide to travel beyond your home again, you would be very welcome in dorne. it would be very different from the neck, but i’m sure you would enjoy it.”

She was always the more thoughtful of her siblings and most other children who spent their time in Sunspear. Mors took it upon himself now to make sure she didn’t get lost in her thoughts. Arianne could do it as well but he found himself much more entertaining than she was. “We were so close and now you ignore me. A travesty, you’ll have to do something to earn my affection and forgiveness.” Placing his hand over his heart the man put on a mock look of hurt. 

"WERE?”  she said, hurt flickering in her dark eyes. elia knew he was simply teasing her but the idea that mors thought she was pushing him away tugged at the gentle woman’s heart. “now you’re just being cruel to me to amuse yourself and for that i will not forgive you.” she answered, crossing her arms and pouting in his direction.

the tight embrace was unexpected — but after only a moment’s hesitation, ella wrapped her arms around elia, palms sweeping over the other’s back in a soft, soothing motion. ( she was always better with touch than words: perhaps, half the reason she was unable to ever properly communicate just how much she… loved and… needed… arianne in her life. ) “i am alright.” she smiled easily, pulling back from the embrace. “i was safe with arianne during the night. not a hair out of place on either of our heads.”

“I’M SO glad to hear that.” she said sincerely., although as she stepped back she studied obella’s face, searching for any sign of damage on her, that drive to nurture everyone she came across ever present. “i’m so glad you were with arianne. i can’t imagine how terrified it would have been for both of you if you were alone.” 

He wouldn’t have apologized if he hadn’t felt the need, and been truly honest about his folly. “Here we’re used to the stares. Not many south of Winterfell have seen them unless my family travels.” Running his fingers through the fur at Robb’s neck.

ELIA’S gaze flicked up to meet his own, his words taking her by surprise. “that’s a feeling i can understand.” despite the new queen hailing from dorne, dornishmen seemed to be few and far between in this city. the strange, suspicious looks had only increased after lord arryn’s body had been found and suspicion had fallen on her own family. “we have many strange creatures in dorne but...” elia dared another look at the wolf. “none of them are quite so well behaved.” she marvelled.

luke shrugged carefully, glancing away from the dornish princess. “it is… hard and it is easy. i still have one of my daughters here with me, which i suppose is some consolation.” though how much, was anyone’s guess. he had only brought her along to begin discussing the idea of marriage — to find her a suitable match amongst the houses, perhaps, allow her an engagement period to know the man. only know he rather feared it was foolish at all to bring her, given how bodies seemingly appeared every hour. “but i won’t feel at rights till all five of us are reunited once more.”

“I UNDERSTAND completely.” elia replied, a gentle smile tilting her lips up. she remembered the days of her childhood when all her siblings, half-siblings and friends were gathered together at the watergardens, how she despaired every time one of them left. she felt as if a tiny piece of herself had gone with them whenever her family left her behind. it was something she’d  never outgrown entirely and so she was beyond grateful that all her siblings had been allowed to travel with her this time. “is your home very far away?”

               “Nothing important, I assure you. My mind is elsewhere as well, its quite hard to wrap my head around this all. Specially after being so eager to return home as soon as possible.” Her conditioned had worsen, she attributed to all the tension and stress she was under, but she also refused to be seen by anyone. Oceara could not fantom being sick in such a time like this, so she would continue to ignore the fact for as long as she could. However her pale face did nothing to hide the fact. 

A RELIEVED smile broke out on elia’s lips at the woman’s reassurances. she would have felt awful if she’d offended the woman by not listening to her. she supposed the fact that everyone’s mind was as distant as hers after what had happened was one thing to be grateful for at least. elia studied the woman before her, noting her pale complexion with concern, but electing not to comment on it. “it must be hard for you, you and your family being kept from home for so long.” elia was a grown woman and most of her family had accompanied her to the capital, she couldn’t imagine how a mother of so many young children must feel to be kept away.

it   was   complaint    after complaint that fell from her lips as she sat in an unladylike position in her chair, shoulders slouched with no care in the world.     ‘    nothing, nothing, obviously if you cannot be bothered listening in the first place, i should leave you on your own, you’ve just done me a favor really.      ’     she sneered as she rose. this was why she preferred northerners to the rest of westeros.

ELIA did not recognize the young woman before her, but she enjoyed her company despite the onslaught of negativity falling from her lips. something about her presence reminded her of her sister, and she didn’t mind listening to her complain. “no, no, please.” elia began in the same patient tone she always used with her own siblings. “forgive me. i’ve been rather distracted lately, please stay.” 

Davos couldn’t believe he was here, standing in front of one of the Martell princesses. Not so much being before one, but the reasons why was what he couldn’t believe. “I was… asking about Aliandra.” Repeating himself, saying again that he knew nothing of his own wife. But it wasn’t as if she shared. He should ask her sister, but he wasn’t ready for that yet. 

ELIA was not the sort to cast judgements on people she didn’t know. she was sure lord baratheon was a decent man, but after what aliandra had told her about her life in the stormlands, it was hard to find it within herself to like the man. nonetheless, she forced a smile to her lips. “what about her?” she asked, uncertain. was he at least trying to build a relationship with his wife? that was enough to make elia rethink her hastily formed opinions.

arianne scoffs slightly at that, turning her head to look over at elia once more. “either that or they want us all in one place to keep us in line, assert their power while on some wild goose case to catch a murderer.” she rolled her eyes, turning in the chair so that her back was against one arm and her legs were slung over the other. she goes quiet for a moment, tapping her fingers against her thigh as she wonders how they’d ended up stuck in this situation. “it seems clear that we have to be cautious in times like this, little sister. they already suspect us of the last murder.”

ELIA’S eyebrows furrow together at her sister’s words. it was their usual rythm, arianne suspecting the worst of people and elia certain that no person was truly that bad. “i’m sure that’s not what they’re doing, arianne.” she said with a firm shake of her head. “i’m always careful.” she said with a laugh. elia had always been the most cautious of her siblings, always hanging back while arianne rushed into everything headfirst. “we’ll prove them wrong.” she continued on, voice projecting a confidence that she did not entirely feel.

the reassuring smile reminded her utterly of the summers spent together — when she was still such a little thing, always chasing after the martell sisters, inadvertently crushing on their brother because he was nice to her. it reminds her of home, soothes any worries or angst she felt. falling into the lounge with a… somewhat dramatic flourish, ali quieted, growing solemn and soft, the known harshness of her features fading. “not well, i must admit.” she murmured in reply. “it storms… all the time. thunder, lightening. even with the wind off the bay, it is still so warm.” ali sighed, gaze tipping to elia. “i miss home. sandstone. i miss seeing the sun rise over the dunes at dawn. i miss the steeds we rode. the scorpions that we could find in the gardens. i miss my siblings. it has been… so very hard giving it all up and taking something new as my own.”

SEEING the shift in aliandra’s expression made elia want to cry. it wasn’t just that elia had never been able to see anyone she loved upset, but the way she spoke about the stormlands. how she missed dorne. elia couldn’t bear the thought of being ripped away from her beloved home and sent to some foreign land all alone. “you’ve been so strong, aliandra.” elia said, still reeling from the thought of what the other woman had been put through. “surely your husband will allow you to come visit us. you know you’re always welcome at sunspear.”

He offered her a small smile and a nod before taking the seat, a small sight of relief escaping him as the weight was taken off his feet. “Oh no,” he raised a hand slightly, “No need to trouble yourself My Lady, it will pass in time.” he paused a moment, getting a better look at her before asking, “Are you from Dorne?” he’d seen some Dornish nobility at the coronation party… they’d made better conversation than most.

“YOU’RE absolutely certain?” she said, worry still weighing heavily on her face as she watched him. the mere mention of her homeland brought a smile to the princess’s lips, giving him a nod of confirmation. “indeed, i’m elia martell. forgive me, i don’t recognize you.”