Sunspear

[Rivine]

It is a time of strife and violence in the Seven Kingdoms. It has been half a year since the death of Robert Baratheon and five kings have arisen to vie for the Iron Throne. With the kingdoms torn asunder there is ample opportunity for those who seek to advance themselves...

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Sunspear is the seat of House Nymeros Martell and the capital of Dorne. The castle is located north of the Greenblood on the far southeastern coast of Westeros and is surrounded on three sides by the sea. The princely Water Gardens lie three leagues away on the coastal road. Sunspear is a walled settlement, protected by three massive Winding Walls encircling one another and containing miles of narrow alleys, hidden courts, and noisy bazaars. The Threefold Gate, where the gates are lined up one behind the other, avoids the labyrinth, instead allowing straight passage on a brick path to the Old Palace. Rising from the Old Palace is the Spear Tower, which can house noble prisoners in cells at its top, and the Tower of the Sun, which contains the seat of the Prince of Dorne.

Clinging to and overshadowed by the castle's massive Winding Walls, the so-called shadow city spreads westwards. Mud-brick shops and windowless hovels are closest to the walls, then west of those are stables, inns, winesinks, pillow houses, some with walls of their own. More hovels and buildings then spread beyond those walls. The shadow city is no more than a town when compared to the Free Cities, but it is the closest thing to a true city that the Dornishmen have.

 

[samowise]

It seemed that war has recently erupted in the seven Kingdoms, and war was always a great chance for pragmatic figures such as Marcus to rise up and shine. Marcus was simply a young and ambitious man who had an endless lust for more power and glory. He was charged with the defenses of Lannisport, but this was not enough for the young ambitious Lannister who lusted for more power. This was clearly the reason why he had joined the Scarlet rose order, and this was also the same reason why he was traveling secretly to Dorn on a smuggler's ship.

It seemed that Marcus was on a secret mission to sunspear and this was clearly a diplomatic mission of sorts. After all, Dorn was known for its neutral position in the war and the fact they avoided joining the open rebellion even though they had more reason to revolt against the throne more than anyone else. However; it seemed that they were happy enough with playing the speculator part and that drove Marcus suspicious.

Knowing well that there were a lot of potential in the desert wasteland Marcus casually landed on the hot sizzling sands of sunspear. He paid a large bribe in gold to the guards so that they would allow his safe passage without questioning, and that is what clearly happened. Marcus then took his mount and headed alone to Spear Tower, which was the seat of house Martell. Of course strangers were not usually welcome, but the Scarlett rose always had their invisible hand everywhere and of course with a bit of Lannister gold to the recipe everything was easier, and all doors were easy to open.

 

[Xanaphia]

For most of Elia’s life, she was confident in her position. The eldest trueborn granddaughter of the House Allyrion, it was her birthright. The presence of an older bastard brother did not concern her, he would not take what was rightfully hers. She was Dornish; that she was a woman was no obstacle to holding her ancestral throne. And yet, her brother had reached above his station. One of Princess Arianne’s many consorts, and one of those who was foolish enough to fall for her. Foolish enough to ask for her hand. Dorne might have been accepting of a great many things, but a bastard was never going to marry the heir to Sunspear. A bastard could never be a proper match, but an Allyrion might be…

She would not be passed over. She was the trueborn heir! In her veins flowed the blood of ancient Dorne, the union of the Yronwoods and Allyrions made flesh. Yet it was the Bastard of Godsgrace who accompanied her father and the Red Viper to King Landing, instead of his trueborn daughter. Was he trying to usurp her position? If he was legitimized, he could marry the princess and steal her rightful heritage. It was what drove her to join the Scarlett Rose, to proudly wear the red flower just behind her left ear, visible when her curly hair was pinned up to the side.

When Princess Myrcella Baratheon came to Dorne, engaged to the youngest Martell, Elia made her second political move of her young life. She attached herself to the young princess, knowing that positioning herself of Myrcella’s Lady in waiting would give her good position to negotiate a proper marriage. A marriage that would ensure her brother could not steal Godsgrace from her.

This day she sang for the young girl. She was rather well known for a bawdier version of “The Dornishmen’s Wife” which ended on a more playful than the original, but it was certainly not an appropriate song for the young girl. Instead she deferred to the girl, who had grown quite fond of her lively rendition of “The Bear and the Maiden Fair”, where she danced about and slapped her knee in time with the verse.

“She kicked and wailed, the maid so fair,
But he licked the honey from her hair.
Her hair! Her hair!
He licked the honey from her hair!”

Myrcella laughed at this part, too young and innocent to get the innuendo implied. Elia laughed too, hard enough to lose her place in the song, as servants brought up the young girl’s meal, and her betrothed. Elia bowed, and took her leave, wandering the castle for a time, looking for something to do with herself.

 

[samowise]

The weather, the hot weather of Dorn always made the young Lannister nervous. The Sizzling sands and the hot sun always made Marcus uncomfortable but diplomacy always forced him to go to places that he did not like. However; regardless of the weather Dorn was always a good place for leisure. Of course, Marcus was not here for leisure but he was here on a diplomatic duty to gather enough information about the stance of dorn in the ongoing war.

Marcus took his ride to the spear tower and slowly dismounted his stallion. Of course, sneaking into the castle's ground was not a hard thing for Marcus who had the wealth to bribe the guards into letting him in. It seemed that bribery made everything either for the Lannisters in the seven kingdoms. In fact, it was the thing that made them the most powerful house and made them hold a tight grip on the Iron throne.

One Marcus was in sneaking into the castle through the servant's door was not easy and disguising himself as one of the servants was even much easier. Marcus clearly had the ability to blend in as long as no one paid attention to his long shiny golden hair and it seemed that this went unnoticeable by a lot of the guards.

It was then when Marcus noticed Elia, a fellow member in the Scarlet of Rose and she was clearly the type of source that the young Lannister was looking for. Marcus stood casually in the corridors, his hands were crossed behind his back and he seemed quite calm and confident for someone who had just sneaked into the Martell's castle.

"Well well...long time no see I guess?" Marcus said to Elia in a sharp and steady tone as he gazed at her. It was true that they were not close friends, but Marcus was well acquainted with everyone in the order and especially those with the potential to serve his own case.

 

[Xanaphia]

Elia was not expecting to run into someone familiar as she made her way to the room she kept while she waited on Myrcella. She especially wasn’t expecting to run into a familiar Lannister as she walked through Sunspear. Yet, here he was, dressed in Servant’s garb, but otherwise unmistakable with his golden hair and green eyes.

“Marcus? Of Lannisport?” She called in a hushed whisper, an eyebrow cocked at his get up. “This was not expected. To what do I owe the pleasure?” She recognized him as a fellow member of the Scarlet Rose, and while they hadn’t known each one intimately, there was a degree of acquaintance between them.

She wore a maroon velvet dress, long sleeves no detriment to the Dornish native. The fact that it came with a deep v-neck and a high slit kept her cool enough, as well as kept her womanly attributes in the forefront of her appearance.

Eyeing her way up and down the hallway, Elia decided this wasn’t the best place to have her chat. At the very least, it didn’t look good for her to have a friendly association with a Lannister. “Follow me,” she directed, leading him to her chambers.

They were nice accommodations, befitting a woman of her status. Silken sheets on her bed, deep crimson in color, a round table in the middle of the room with a bowl of fresh fruit and a couple chairs to go with it. The worn, yet regal wooden desk was kept immaculate by Elia, all of her correspondence filed carefully away. She motioned towards a chair, pulling out some wine and goblets for them to share. Pouring both in clear view of him, she offered him one and took a drink of her own.

“So, what are you doing here? I have my doubts that it was to see me,” Elia prodded, elbow resting on the table and her chin resting in her palm.

 

[samowise]

Marcus allowed a mischievous smile to appear on his face as he allowed Elia to interpret and analyze what was going on carefully. He then gazed at her from toe to head before he made a welcoming gesture with his hand. She was as beautiful as always, and it seemed that the young lady was still doing a great job in distinguishing herself from other Dornish ladies.

"Yes indeed, at your service my dear lady" Marcus said jokingly in a playful yet a hushed voice."Well..I guess I don't need a reason to visit such a beautiful lady as yourself do I?" Marcus said, there was a sense of sarcasm and dark intentions in his voice. Marcus was always a sly figure and his intentions were rarely that clear. Still the lady was beautiful and this fact was at least clear to him.

Marcus followed her confidently as he checked the place carefully with his eyes but then his gaze was fixed on the lady in front of him that was leading him to a different place. She had quite the nice figure, but well Marcus has always heard a lot of great tales about Dornish women. If half of them were true then there was no reason to be astonished.

"Well well..I must say I didn't expect you to invite me to your room that fast." Marcus said as he took a seat and placed his right leg over his left before he picked his glass of wine."To be honest, I did not know that I was that much irresistible" He added, Marcus was still clearly teasing her and playing around. However; this was always his nature even during the most important meetings. It always helped him conceal his true intentions and goals from everyone else.

"Well I don't really need a reason to check up on my friends from time to time I guess" Marcus said as he softly used his fingers to brush Elia's hair away from her ear to reveal her Scarlett rose tattoo. It was true that not a lot of people did notice the tattoo, but Marcus was a perceptive figure who always enjoyed familiarizing himself with his surroundings.

"So I am here to check on you of course, and my dear little sweet relative. You know with the ongoing and with bad blood going on between my family and the Martells, it is hard to believe that Myrcella is safe here" Marcus spoke his tone getting a little bit more serious as he started to sip from his drink. He then picked up a strawberry from the bowl and bit half of it. "you want?" He said as he extended his hand towards Elia. Well it seemed that Marcus was making himself comfortable at Elia's room. Probably, more comfortable than he should be.

 

[Xanaphia]

“Oh, you know what they say about us Dornish women. Desert roses blooming beautifully, hiding sharp thorns beneath our full petals. You know it’s dangerous, but still you want to touch. So, does your desire get in the way of your good sense?” Elia teased, admiring the way he played the game, making her own moves towards the intricate and complicated dance of feudal politics. He seemed to take this as an invitation to touch her, finger stroking her hair to reveal the tattoo she didn’t exactly keep hidden. Her eyes didn’t leave his as she watched his movement, studying his demeanor. She could see in the ways his eyes drank her in that he was more than just casually attracted to her, but seduction was not his goal, but a tool in his arsenal.

Then he mentioned Myrcella, and things were coming together now. She couldn’t help but notice his hair color, the lovely golden blonde, and how closely it matched the girls. Incredible, despite the distant relation. Or perhaps not so distant. Elia had seen the letter Stannis had sent throughout the kingdoms, declaring the Baratheon children bastards born of incest. Elia hadn’t paid it much mind, knowing that those who want something will say whatever is needed to get it. And yet, there might have been some truth to it. That the younger girl possess only the lovely features of her Lannister mother, no sign of her Baratheon father, accept the name.

“Well, Lannister and Martell are not friends, but Myrcella is a Baratheon, is she not?” Elia asked, innocent and sweetly. She doubted Marcus would fall into the trap; he seemed too self-aware for such things. Still, she couldn’t help but put it out there, watching his reaction as she implied as to the princess’ true parentage. She leaned forward as she tossed forth her query, her supple cleavage resting against the hard wooden tabletop.

She took a bit of the strawberry he offer, not shying away from wrapping her lips around the dulcet fruit, letting it’s juices stain her lips. Her hand caressed his as she took the rest of the strawberry from him, not daring to avert her gaze as she swallowed down it’s succulence.

 

[samowise]

"Well my fair lady I am a man known for his tendency to play on the safe side. But still there are a lot of beautiful yet dangerous things that I find quite appealing" Marcus still maintained his playfull tone, it seemed that she was playing his little game with him, and that clearly made the young Lannister more excited. However; he always enjoyed being the one in control so he was not planning on giving her the privilege of besting him.

Then came her smart yet sly question. It was a question about the true lineage of the young princess. As a Lannister Marcus was pretty sure or at least his senses told him that the young princess was no stag, but actually a true lion wearing the clothes of a young stag. However; here true lineage did not matter when it came to the game of thrones. After all, the truth was only painted through splintered shields and blood.

"Baratheon or not, this was never the case. When you play the game of thrones all that matters is your power and ability to back up the claim you have. Westeros was conquered through sheer power and power only." Marcus spoke in a more serious tone as he did not hide the fact that he was glaring at Elia's cleavage. As a Lannister Marcus always had a certain taste for women, and he always preferred women of high nobility standards as long as he had the upper hand.

"However regardless of this Myrcella has the potential to be a key figure in the upcoming war especially if Dorn got involved in the war" Marcus' gaze was now averted to look directly into Elia's eyes as he tried to interpret her own intentions. After all, a woman's eyes were always a window to her soul, or so he thought.

Marcus then felt the warmth touch of the dornish woman's hand on his own hand. The lady was trying to get the upper hand in this whole situation, but Marcus simply could not allow her to do that. He always liked to be the one with the upper hand regardless of the situation.

"I need you to keep an eye on Myrcella and to inform me if your dear folks have any certain plans for her" Marcus spoke as he softly pulled his hands away from hers. He enjoyed playing this game for much longer and he did plan on teasing her till he had his goals fully accomplished. Marcus then got up from his chairs and approached the dornish woman from her back.

"I also want you to teach her how to grow thrones beneath her petals just like the ones you have" As he said the last few words Marcus pulled Elia's dress a little bit softly revealing a good portion of her leg and thigh. Well he was surely enjoying this game of political maneuver. A good challenge was always fun and exciting for the young lion.

"Of course all of this won't go unrewarded"He added, before he took a moment of silence to allow his words to think in."As you know we Lannisters always pay our debt" He whispered into her ears as he got his lips pretty close to her ears. His voice was low and deep and his lips were close enough to allow her to feel his warm breath on her ear loops.

 

[Xanaphia]

“I am quite fond of the girl, and I am willing to teach her what she needs to survive in world of five kings. Fondness aside, however, I am more interested in what she can do for Dorne,“ Elia explained, reminding Marcus where her loyalties truly lied. She would ally with the young princess only as long as it was beneficial to her. Truly she had conflicting loyalties now, as Marcus asked her to spy for him. She never would have thought being part of the Scarlet Roses would put her in an awkward position within Dorne at risk. She may have been loosely allied with him through their shared membership, yet he demanded that she serve his needs over her own.

Moreover, he got more familiar with her as his request became more demanding. Did he think he could fuck her into compliance? What kind of girl did he take her for? “I have heard that Lannisters pay their debts. I am wondering, however, how you intend to pay this one. What can you offer me, to get me to betray the land I call home?” She challenged. She was young, but not so young she could be swayed on the basis of lust alone. She stood now, on equal ground to him, or attempting to at least. He was significantly taller than she was, but still she stood up to him.

 

[samowise]

Marcus suddenly stopped what he was doing. It was as if he was snapping back to reality, or his mood has completely changed. He did look somewhat displeased or more serious as he took a few steps away from the lady and picked up the goblet of wine as he poured some more wine into his cup."Betray your people? you will certainly be doing Dorn a favor by helping me" Marcus said bluntly as he continued to sip from his cup and as he leaned back at wall.

"This girl is the key to peace between the Martels and the Lannisters" Marcus said as he started to explain the scenario for her. Marcus knew a lot about politics, and he enjoyed playing this game a lot. However; he hated wars and he always wanted to avoid wars whenever it was possible."As you know there is a lot of bad blood between the Martells and Lannisters, and if anything happened to this girl then the consequence will be pretty bad"He said, he then stopped for awhile allowing his words to sink in.

"Dorn would be dragged into this mindless war and things have been hectic enough I guess!!! This war would only mean that more people will have to suffer and die" Of course Marcus did not care about neither his people nor the Dornishmen. However; this war was already draining their mines and if Dorne got involved in this then it only meant more losses for them. Marcus did not want his house to lose more money fighting for the stupid childish king who sat on the throne and who dragged the realm into a useless war already.

"This girl is like a blade with two edges, one could maintain peace between the Martells and the Lannisters and the other edge could turn this into a war" Marcus then stopped talking as he finished his glass of wine." By helping me you would be doing your people a favor as well" He spoke as he picked an apple from the fruit bowl and hunched on it. He then headed towards the curtains covering the window and pulled it slightly to look at the young princess in the gardens of the palace. "Of course if that is not enough for you then I am sure there are a lot of things I could help you with"Marcus finally finished his explanation. It was true that he was not as powerful as he cousins in Kings landing or in Casterly Rock, but he was still a Lannister and he had a lot of wealth and strong connections. Shee only had to ask for his help, and he was clearly willing to cooperate with her on more than one aspect.

 

[Xanaphia]

His demeanor changed as she challenged him, and she noted this well. He claimed to serve the interest of peace, and she wanted to believe him. Nevertheless, war had already broken out, as five kings vied for the Iron Throne. She couldn’t help but think his interested lie with the boy king and his Lannister grandfather.

“War is distasteful, to women as much as men. We may not fight upon your front lines, but we are not spared from its cruel touch.” Elia knew this as well as any other. Better than some, even. When she was born, Elia Martell was the crowned princess of the realm, and it was believed she would sit upon the throne aside Rhaegar Targeryan. Being named after the Dornish princess was a blessing, a hope that she would rise as high as her namesake, and raise the status of her house as she did.

But war broke then, and despite having no part in it, Elia Martell paid a terrible price. The wounds left there had never healed for those in Dorne, most notably Prince Oberyn, who was quick to remind people what had happened to his sister. Her children were murdered. She was raped and murdered as well. Elia was but a few years younger than poor Rhaenys Targeryan, who had died for her station. Suddenly the name Elia was more curse than blessing.

Marcus might have thought there could be peace between the Lannisters and the Martells, but the Red Viper would not forgive the man who raped and murdered his sister and her children, Gregor Clegane. Nor would he forgive the man who gave the order, and he was convinced none other than Tywin Lannister could have command.

“Myrcella’s hand might not be enough to keep the Dorne from going to war. Even now the Red Viper goes to King’s Landing, to take his place on the small council. He still has not forgiven Tywin for what he believes Tywin ordered done to his sister and her children.” Elia offered, finishing her own glass now.

 

[samowise]

Marcus listened to Elia carefully with a calculative look on his face. She was clearly smarter and much more educated in politics that what he had expected. However; it seemed that she was putting all the Lannisters in the same category and Marcus really despised that. He was a Lannister indeed, but he did not support the war. war always drained resources and it was not going to get him and his family anywhere.

"I fully reckon, but the Martells needs to understand that the death of Elia was a mistake committed by an individual person, and such mistakes always happen during wars" Marcus spoke as he folded his arms behind his back and walked towards the window. He had always hated the hot weather, but still there was something about the warmth of the Dornish sun that made him happy.

"The current war was also a mistake made by a foolish brat who really believed that he is a true king" Marcus spoke once again, he came this time as a bold one. After all, insulting the king was an act of treason and not a lot of people dared to curse the king. But Marcus clearly did not see Joffery as a fitting king." Ned Stark was not supposed to be killed after his confession, but well here he is now killed on the orders of an arrogant young brat who has caused us a lot of damage already" He added, it was the second time he had insulted the king, but Marcus did not care. After all, Joffery was cruel but he was a weak king. The bigger issue was actually Tywin Lannister who fought the war for Joffery, but even Tywin himself knew how dangerous Joffery was.

"Maybe we can't undo such foolish mistakes but at least we can minimize the damage caused by others wouldn't you agree?" Marcus asked once again as he extended his offer for the young Dornish lady one more time.

 

[Rivine]

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