The weasel`s plan

The Godswood of Casterly Rock is located in a cave inside the Rock called the Stone Garden. It has no grass and no trees other than a twisted weirwood whose roots almost filled the entire cave preventing anything else from growing there.

Doran entered the cave accompanied by Lothar, who was holding a torch in his hand, the only sources of light inside the cave are the torches placed around it, there are no windows so the sunlight does not reach inside it.

As he looks at the very alive tree, Doran wonders how it can be alive if it doesn't get any sunlight.

"Doran!"

Sitting on one of the roots is Rhaella Targaryen, next to her also holding a torch is Gerold Hightower.

"Rhaella!" Doran says equally excited. "Ser Gerold."

"Prince Doran, Ser Lothar." Gerold nods in his direction, the white cloak is not dressed in his white armor but in a green doublet and black pants.

"Princess Rhaella, Ser Gerold." Lothar bows slightly to Rhaella before walking over to one of the larger roots and leaning against it, Gerold also goes there, giving the children some privacy.

"Excuse my bluntness, but is something wrong? Why all the mystery?"

"No, I prefer it that way. I don't like to beat around the bush when I'm with friends." Rhaella responds by gesturing for him to sit next to her on the root. When Doran sits down, the princess tells him the following:

"Lord Rosby told us that Lord Frey plans to come to Lord Lannister's nameday at the very last moment, hours before the banquet."

"What does he intend to achieve with that?" Doran is frowning, he did not like Lord Frey one bit. `The weasel-faced man is just as rude as his son.`

"Lord Rosby's spies have learned that Lord Frey intends to force a marriage with House Lannister."

"What?! Force a marriage?! Is he crazy?! How does he intend to do such a thing?!"

"Lower your voice." Rhaella scolds him.

"Sorry," Doran apologizes, lowering his voice.

"Father thinks he's going to announce the engagement between his House and House Lannister in the middle of the banquet."

"Forcing the hand of Lord Tytos." Doran realizes, Rhaella nods, looking at him approvingly.

"Walder Frey knows that Lord Tytos has a tendency to please people, so he's not likely to deny the engagement."

"Shit." Doran knows that Rhaella is right. If Frey announces the marriage between House Frey and House Lannister in the middle of the banquet with hundreds of people as witnesses, Tytos will say nothing and he will accept the engagement just to please them.

`Tytos is the most genuine and kind person I have met in my two lives. He is, as some would say in my old world, a cinnamon roll. But he has no backbone at all, he doesn't know how to say 'No' or stand for himself.' thinks Doran grimly.

"Language." Rhaella playfully scolds him with a half smile and a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "Don't worry Doran, my grandfather and my father have already thought of a way to stop Lord Frey from getting away with that."

"That's why you came sneaking!"

"Yes, and keep your voice down."

Doran apologizes again, scratching the back of his head.

`I have to learn to control my Gryffindor enthusiasm.`

***

After thanking Rhaella for the heads up they spent an hour catching up. In the last year they had been sending letters every two weeks so they are very aware of what happened in each other's lives, but exchanging letters is not the same as talking in person.

After promising to spend more time together during the trip, the children said goodbye, having to go prepare for the banquet.

Doran, before going to change, went to see his parents to warn them of Lord Frey's intentions but did not find them. The Martell guards told him that his parents are in a meeting with Lord Lannister and Prince Duncan.

`Duncan must be telling them about everything. The audacity of the Frey... Do they not have the slightest decency? ` Doran thinks with a grimace of displeasure.

After bathing the servants dress him in the outfit prepared in advance, to Doran's surprise it is not the one they had previously agreed on.

"This is not the outfit mother and I chose."

"I know my prince, but princess Obella ordered that you use this instead." Doran notices that Myria is quite tired and has bandages on her fingers.

`Perhapsshe prepared this outfit at the last moment. What does mother plan?`Myria is not only the head of his personal servants but she is also a master seamstress, she is the one in charge of making his clothes (she has several helpers).

The new outfit is black with orange and gold details.

***

Once dressed Doran walks to a room that is near the banquet hall, his parents are not dressed yet and he will wait for them there until the banquet begins.

Doran took a book with him to entertain himself while he waited, after reading a couple of pages the doors of the room open and Mors enters accompanied by some guards.

"Dory!" The boy lunges at him and hugs him like he hasn't seen him in years.

"Huffff."

Doran helps his little brother sit on the sofa.

"What are you reading?" He asks him while looking at the book intently and reads some sentences. "-andal iron replaced bonze-"

"Bronze." Doran corrects him.

"What's this?"

"The book is called `Evolution of Weaponry`, it is a book that talks about the change of the type of weapons used in Westeros."

"Boring, you should read something more fun like adventure stories!"

Doran chuckles and ruffles his hair.

"Dory!" Mors complains and tries to fix his hair. "Tell me an epic story!" Demands the five year old.

"An epic story?" Doran is thoughtful for a moment, thinking about what story he could tell his little brother to entertain him until their parents arrive. "Let's see, how about a knight's tale?"

"Yes!"

"Once upon a time many millennia ago, on a long-forgotten island, there was a boy with a great destiny; Arthur was his name-"

Doran was in the part of the story where the knights and nobles were embarrassed themselves trying to get Excalibur out of the rock using increasingly more and more absurd methods when he heard some giggling.

The prince turned his head and saw Rhaella at the door of the room looking at them with her face lit with a radiant smile, her purple eyes shining beautifully.

"Princess Rhaella, I'm sorry, I didn't know you were there." Doran gets up from the sofa and makes a short bow.

"It's fine Prince Doran, although I'm surprised you didn't hear the door open." Rhaella walks towards them and looks at Mors, who copied his brother less gracefully. "And you must be Mors, you look a lot like your brother."

"Hello princess Rhaella" Mors greets her shyly and Doran can practically see her heart melt at the cuteness of his brother.

"I've never heard that story before, what's it called?" At Rhaella's question, Mors turned to Doran and asked him the same thing.

Doran could not tell the truth, the legend of King Arthur is one of the most famous stories in his old world but in this one no one has heard of the King of Knight.

"It's a story I made up, called The legend of King Arthur" Doran decides to lie with some guilt.

"I didn't know you were so creative."

"Yes! Dory is the best!"

"Dory?" Rhaella looks at him with a mischievous gleam in her eyes, Doran resigns himself to a life of teasing from her part.

"Only family can call him Dory" Mors says seriously and crosses his arms.

"Mors be more polite to the princess." Obella, who had just arrived at the salon, scolds him.

"Sorry." Rhaella reassures the youngest of the Martells.

"There is no foul, princess Obella." Duncan enters right behind her. "So to call Prince Doran `Dory` Rhaella needs to be family? That can be arranged." Duncan has the same mischievous twinkle in his eye as his niece.

"Uncle!" Rhaella blushes, Doran turns his head to hide his own blush.

"Eh?" Mors looks at them all confused, causing the adults to chuckle.

"Come on, the banquet will start shortly. It's time to pair up." At Trystanne's words, the children leave the room and they all walk a few meters to the entrance of the banquet hall.

The Lannisters are already waiting for them.

Couples today are somewhat different.

The first to enter are Tytos and Obella, followed by Duncan and Jeyne, Trystanne and Jenny, Jason and Marla Lannister (Tytos`s brother and his wife), Doran and Rhaella, Twyin and Joanna Lannister (Jason`s daughter), Lewyn and Genna, and finally Keven and Steffon (Joanna`s younger brother).

When they tell him he will enter the Banquet Hall with Rhaella, Dorans realizes why Obella changed his outfit. His current clothes match Rhaella's dress perfectly.