Her mother was home, back in Dorne after many years of absence and she honestly could not say, exactly, how she felt about it. The thought seemed strange and out of place in her mind, since she almost resigned to never see her again, but she supposed it was a good thing, after the dreadful news that reached Dorne; Oberyn was dead, killed by the Mountain. Her father would be relieved to have his wife by his side, or so Arianne hoped —— yes, it was better to do that, to just focus on everyone else’s grief but her own, otherwise she feared she would have cracked and let the tears she was desperatly trying to hold back rush down in a violent stream. She would not have that —— she could not. Arianne needed to be strong right now, for her friends and her family.
❝ Trys asked me if you were coming back, sometimes, I always said I did not know. ❞
Hurting her was not the point, especially not in a moment like that, so she took a deep breath, not daring to properly register how it trembled a little.
❪ She left us alone. ❫
The thought burned in her mind, as bright and dangerous as a forest fire, but the princess cast it aside. For now.
❝ But I hoped you would. ❞
Not like this hung in the air between them, loud and heavy.
❪ & Mellario ❫