A Tale of Blood and Monsters Ch. 14

Year 280 AC

Essos – Tyrosh

Oberyn had barely stepped off the ship and onto the dock before a Tyroshi with vibrant sky blue hair stepped forward to greet him, "Prince Oberyn Martell, it is a pleasure to meet you. My lord asked me to be here to greet you upon your arrival, so that I may offer to take you directly to him."

The Dornish Prince didn't bother with even a thin veneer of civility, sneering at the Tyroshi and spitting to the side before stepping up to loom over the slightly shorter man, "This lord of yours, will my sister be at his side when I lay eyes upon him? If not, I confess I will more than likely not react well."

Infuriatingly, the gopher just smiles and nods, Oberyn's attempts at intimidation and menace seeming to fly right over the dunce's head, even as he answers the question put to him, "Yes, from what I understand they are currently partaking of a midday meal in my lord's dining hall. Lady Dayne is with them as well, of course."

Oberyn keeps the sneer on his face, "Of course. Fine then, lead the way."

The toady bows at that and turns to lead Oberyn through bustling streets, away from the harbor. Oberyn keeps his arms crossed as he walks, fingers gliding over the handles of throwing knives hidden amongst his person. His spear was sheathed across his back as well, and it seemed so far that he was not going to be asked to remove it. No matter, Oberyn would make certain of Elia's safety, before doing anything too foolish anyways.

He knew as much about this man who'd taken his sister as Doran did. That was to say, he knew too many rumors and not as much confirmed truth as he would have wanted. If for some reason this Vali survived the insult he'd made to the Martells, the Daynes, and the Targaryens, Oberyn rather hoped he could come away from this with a bit more information on this new power that had risen in Essos.

Not that this supposed Valyrian's survival was very likely. After all, he-

A loud roar shook through the air and disrupted the young Martell's thoughts. He found himself freezing up immediately, eyes wide as he tensed and glanced about for the source of the sound that had invoked a moment of primal terror in him. Nobody around him even reacted to the sound, and it took his guide a moment to realize Oberyn had stopped in the middle of the street.

Moving back to where the Dornish Prince stood, he affects a sympathetic smile, "Ah, my apologies Prince Oberyn. That is just Niklaus."

Oberyn's lips thin as he presses them together. He knows bait when he sees it, and the casual comment and unfamiliar name are innocently said but clearly meant to mock him and draw out the obvious next question. Still, his curiosity is greater than his pride in this instance.

"And what, pray tell, is a Niklaus?"

The guide's smile becomes a toothy grin, "Why, Niklaus is my lord's dragon of course. He's gotten rather big in the last few months, and as a consequence his roar has increased quite a lot in volume. His growth is the talk of the city, we're quite proud to house one of the only two dragons in existence you know! There are rumors that his diet consists entirely of kraken flesh. Can you imagine that?"

Oberyn could do nothing more than stare as the other man chuckles and shakes his head, finding humor from his own jokes. Obviously the Martell Prince didn't want to believe the confirmation of rumors he'd been hearing for months now. The idea that this man of clear Targaryen, or perhaps in truth, Valyrian descent was not only forming an empire in Essos, but was doing it from the backs of dragons, had not been something anyone on Westeros wanted to be true.

Not even the Targaryens wanted the second coming of Aegon the Conqueror, when it came for them instead of from them. Yet Oberyn could not deny what he had heard, the strange yet deeply terrifying roar that was so unfamiliar to him, even as it resonated deeply within his mind. There was the potential that it was just a ploy, a trick to strike fear in his heart. But he could not afford to go into this being overconfident. He would move forward under the assumption that he was not only going up against a Dragonlord to get his sister back, but a living breathing dragon as well.

On that note, Oberyn suddenly realized that his so-called 'guide' had been leading him in circles, as they passed by a fruit stall Oberyn knew he'd seen before, if only because there was a comely lass with bright lavender hair manning it. With a growl, the prince stepped forward and grabbed his guide by the collar, spinning him around and glaring directly into his eyes, all terror forgotten.

"You will stop playing games with me and take me directly to my sister, or I will start removing fingers from your hands."

The guide's smug mocking countenance is gone immediately as he simpers and whimpers in the face of Oberyn's fury, "Forgive me Prince Oberyn! I merely thought you might wish to see some of the wonders Tyrosh has to offer, I was merely taking a slightly longer route, that is all!"

Oberyn sneers at the man's poor attempt at subterfuge, "I am no fool! You were leading me in circles. Now, will we be going directly to my sister and your lord, or shall I start deciding which fingers I think you need least to fulfill your task?"

"O-of course Prince Oberyn. I-I'll lead you directly there, I promise. Just allow me to show you the way."

There's a pause, as the young dornish man stares into his deceitful guide's eyes for a long moment before smiling widely and releasing him as if nothing had happened, "Wonderful! I knew you were a reasonable sort. Lead on! My sister awaits!"

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I heard Oberyn Martell's approach long before I was able to set my eyes on him. With such an advantage, I was able to time the punchline of the embellished story I was regaling Elia and Ashara with right as he walked into the room.

"… And so, I asked the Khal, if he thought so little of my horse, what he might think instead of my dragon."

Elia's eyes twinkle as she leans forward, careful not to dip her clothing in the meal in front of her, but still on the edge of her seat, "And how did he respond?"

Shrugging, I grin wickedly and spear a piece of my own lunch before finishing my story right as Oberyn walked into the room, "I couldn't tell you. Niklaus flew overhead in the next moment and took the Khal's head off with a well-aimed blast of dragonfire."

Both girls reacted to the end of my tale with at least some degree of amusement and humor, but my attention was focused more on Oberyn's reaction. He kept his face blank, but I noted the way one of his hands spasmed into a tight fist for just a moment before relaxing. It seemed the roar I'd had Niklaus left off earlier had left an impression on the young dornish prince.

With a wide smile, I stand and spread my arms, "Prince Oberyn Martell, it is so good to finally meet you."

Elia's head turns toward Oberyn at my words, seeming to finally notice the arrival of her sibling. Her eyes widen and a radiant smile spreads across her face as she leaps from her seat and rushes over to sweep her brother up into her arms, "Oberyn, you've finally arrived!"

I could see that the male Martell was not expecting the strength of his sister's grip as she pulled him in close for a long moment before drawing back and grabbing him by the hand, pulling him over to where her and Ashara were sitting and pushing him down into a seat. Oberyn's eyes were wide and surprised even as Elia grabs a plate and begins filling it up for him from the veritable feast in front of them.

Sitting down, I can only watch in amusement as Elia steamrolls over her brother with comments about how thin he's looking and how hungry he must be for some decent food after such a long voyage. Soon enough, we're all eating, and any plans Oberyn had for confronting me were very clearly derailed by his own sister.

Instead, Elia and Ashara double-teamed Oberyn with small talk and tales of the adventures they'd had under my generous care. I could see the way he reacted in a negative fashion whenever one of the noblewomen commented on me in a positive way, but he held his tongue amusingly enough. At least, until the meal came to an end and he stood abruptly, finally turning his attention to the source of his incredible ire. Me.

"As… lovely as all this is. It is time for us to leave. I have brought the payment for your lost ship with me, and it resides on my own vessel. We should go to the docks now so that it can be handed over, and I can depart with my sister and the Lady Dayne."

I can see it in his eyes, he's expecting, maybe even hoping, for this to be the moment where I betray the deal I outlined to his brother and him in the letter. I see no reason to disappoint him, smiling amicably but shaking my head in the negative.

"There is no need. Dorne's payment has already been removed from your vessel. However, it is only half of what I am owed, so regrettably I cannot allow you to depart. Prince Rhaegar Targaryen comes from King's Landing with the other half of the payment. Luckily, he is scheduled to arrive within the day. A fortuitous happenstance. All you will have to do is wait here but one day as my honored guest, and we will put all of this unfortunate business behind us."

Oberyn's façade finally cracks and he grits his teeth as his hands curl into tight fists. All the same, there is a bit of triumph in his eyes as he speaks, "So now you reveal the true depth of your depravity. Do you think me a fool? You have kidnapped a Princess and Lady of Dorne. You now think to take me as your prisoner, as well as the Targaryen Prince, hmm? And what exactly, have you done to my crew? They would not allow your men onto my ship so easily."

I just smile in response, once more shaking my head, "You are wrong, on all accounts. Your crew in particular is fine. They were persuaded quite easily to stand aside. After all, if you were not here to pay the reparations for my destroyed ship, why would you bring the agreed upon sum?"

Elia takes over at that moment, as Oberyn's face has grown an alarming shade of puce and he opens his mouth, no doubt to shout, scream, or roar at me. Elia's hand on his arm as she pulls him to the side and speaks lowly, supposedly out of my hearing range, is all that stops his outburst.

"Oberyn! Lord Vali has been nothing but the perfect host to Ashara and I. He means us no harm, and has treated us with absolute respect. He has already explained to us that Dorne would pay half and the Targaryens would pay the other half. There is no plot here, no kidnapping scheme. He is not fool enough to think he could anger the entire Seven Kingdoms and survive holed up here in Tyrosh. Prince Rhaegar will arrive tomorrow with their part of the payment, and this will be laid to rest."

Oberyn kept his own words low, but his tone was incredulous as he stared at his sister, "Elia, you can't possibly believe this man to be anything more than pirate scum. He targeted your fleet for you specifically. There is no doubt in my mind. He grabbed you for a reason."

Elia shakes her head sharply, "No. I was there Oberyn. We were at fault. The Captain in charge of the fleet reacted poorly to the single Tyroshi ship that appeared on the horizon, because of the rumors of piracy. We attacked them first, we sank their ship. They were defending themselves."

Oberyn's eyes are wide, clearly warring with his desire to trust his older sister, while on the other hand, having a hard time believing what she's saying, "How is that possible? How did the crew of a single sinking ship take the entire fleet?"

Elia injects a small note of fear into her tone at this point and I can't help but give silent props to her acting, "They have powerful monsters that I have never seen or heard of before. Magic has returned to Essos Oberyn. Dragons have returned to Essos. The Seven Kingdoms would prefer to stick their collective heads in the sand and ignore what's happening in Essos, but I have seen it with my own eyes. So has Ashara."

Making a show of closing those eyes and taking a deep breath as she pauses for a moment, Elia continues only a moment later, staring Oberyn down with frank intensity, "But, Ashara and I were spared. We were brought to Tyrosh, and ever since, Lord Vali of Valyria has treated us as his guests, not his prisoners. He is not our enemy Oberyn, and we do not want to make him one."

I stay seated as I watch the young man struggle with his sister's words. It seems obvious to me that something is up, but then as the mastermind behind everything, of course it would. I had all of the details. Yet after a long moment Oberyn nods in agreement with his elder sister and then looks to me.

"I… apologize for my remarks Lord Vali. I accept your generous offer and will partake of your hospitality while we await the Targaryen Prince's arrival."

The smile on my face is pleasant as I spread my hands apart, "There is nothing to apologize for or to forgive. You care for your family and I respect that. To that end, I will leave the three of you alone for the day. Explore Tyrosh if you wish, or spend the time catching up. My men know that Princess Elia and Lady Ashara are to be denied nothing. So long as you remain with them, you will be afforded the same courtesy."

I leave unsaid the fact that if he wanders off on his own, any protection his sister's presence afforded would be stripped. From the look on his face, I was rather sure he understood quite well regardless. He nods shortly in response, and I stay seated as Elia leads Oberyn from the room and Ashara trails out behind them.

Luckily the hot-headed dornish prince doesn't see my face, because I'm sure the smile I let cross it is quite sinister at this point. Tomorrow promised to be quite fun.

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