The Martells visit III

- 276 AC -

(Seara Martell POV)

"Eh, don't think too much about it. You can say to and about me whatever you want. But if you talk ill about my family ... I'll make sure you wet yourself, savvy?", I hear Robert say to Andros.

Ahhhh ... I shudder when I hear his voice. Those eyes ... they make me want to devour him right here. His way of conduct, his looks, his body ... and the intensity in his eyes. He is more than ready for violence. I look at Elia and see that she has a similar look to mine. But she conceals it far better than I do ... because I don't conceal it. I wonder how skilled he is ...

I knew the moment I arrived here what was going on. Andros often forgets his place and acts on his insecurities. It would appear that a paramour change is in order soon. He was fun, but I see something new that interest me. If only I was in Elia's place. Not that age matters to me. Not when they look like that.

How can a young boy be this poised?

The scene resolves itself since I have no interest in getting to the bottom of things. Everything is already clear. 

"Since things are now resolved, I would to finally introduce our two sons to you.", Lord Steffon says. I still haven't looked away from Robert Baratheon and from the looks of things, neither has Elia. 

"Please do that. I am interested to finally meet the duo that managed to improve Storm's End to this extent.", I say and walk forward. I move my hips to see their reaction. However, I am left disappointed when both boys not only do not react but also only look at my eyes. Quite impressive. 

"Princess these are my two sons, my Heir Robert Baratheon and my second son, Stannis Baratheon. Boys this is Saera Martell, the Princess of Dorne with her daughter Elia Martell and her paramour Andros Sand.", Steffon introduces us. 

I look Robert in the eyes and he does the same. I feel a slight rush when he looks me in the eyes and doesn't falter or flinch at all. He takes a step towards me and then grabs my hand. He moves it towards his face and kisses it gently. 

"Princess, it is an honour to finally meet you. The tales of your beauty that reach the Stormlands are many, but I see now they were mere shadows of the truth. No words can capture the radiance and grace that stand before me."

"Oh my. You're a charmer. The pleasure is mine, young Robert. The tales of your exploits as a benevolent healer have long reached Dorne and we are very interested in hearing tales of your travels.", I say. 

He smiles which I find attractive. 

"Too much honour, Princess. The tales are greatly exaggerated. I am but a novice in the art of healing."

"Oh, I doubt that. Allow me to introduce to you my daughter as well. Elia Martell. My other children sadly couldn't make the trip. My eldest son Doran stayed behind as castellan of Sunspear, while my youngest Oberyn has had a rather unfortunate encounter with the paramour of Lord Edgar Yronwood.", I say.

Elia steps forward and Robert also grabs her hand. He smiles at her and gives her a kiss on the back of her hand as well. 

"My Lady, your looks resemble your mother's greatly. I see nothing that is not perfect. Allow me to officially welcome you to Storm's End.", Robert says. I see Elia blush ever so slightly ... oh girl you are going to be the one to fall for his charms at this rate. She really needs to work on her dornish charm more. We seduce the men and not the other way around ... although I understand the difficulty in this case.

"We already did that Robert. Which you knew, had you been present when we welcomed them.", Steffon says through his teeth. 

"Oh ... right. Haha, my mistake. So then ... food?"

I chuckle at his nonchalance.

"Food would be delightful."

"Perfect, so let's go eat then.", Robert says and takes both my and Elia's hands to lead us to the dining room.

"Robert!"

"What is it, Father?"

"Go get proper!!", Steffon all but shouts at Robert. 

The young man looks at himself in disbelief and then laughs. 

"Bahahaha. I completely forgot about that. Let me go change quickly.", Robert says and the two young men walk away.

.

The dining hall of Storm's End was a place of rough elegance just like the Stormlord's reputation. Long oak tables with hearty foods, surrounded by the stone walls that had withstood centuries of storms.

The scent of my and Elia's personal scented oils mixed with the aromas from this surprisingly wide variety of a feast.

Elia, delicate and poised like I taught her but also sensual at the same time, sits beside me. My eyes, take in the unfamiliar surroundings. I have never been to Storm's End before, so this is a new experience for me as well.

We Martells are accustomed to much more vibrant colours and spices as well as rich flavours of our Dornish cuisine. But what I see here before me surprises me positively. My gaze settles on an unusual dish at the centre of the table. Something I have never seen before. 

It was a rather big, round and flat dish. Its golden-brown crust is slightly crisped at the edges, topped with an array of ingredients that smell of cheese and ... something else. The red sauce contrasts with something white, and dotted throughout were slices of what I assume to be meat, olives, and herbs that released an intoxicating aroma.

.

(A/N I googled a lot of things about pizza to write this one paragraph. I am not a native, so this was necessary.)

.

It was unlike anything I had ever seen or smelled before. I almost forgot my manners and salivated. 

I leaned closer, inhaling deeply. The scent reminds me of freshly baked bread, cooked meat, and cheese. What is this? I look in front of me, where Lord Steffon, seems to have noticed my interest and smiles with a knowing look. But he is not the only one. Lady Cassana also smiles at our reaction. 

Robert and Stannis, are engaged in a lively conversation with Elia, well Robert is the one talking, as neither Stannis nor Elia are saying anything. But for different reasons. Stannis doesn't seem to say much in general and Elia's attention seems to shift between her interest in Robert and the foreign but heavenly-smelling food. 

"Princess Saera.", Steffon says, drawing my attention, "I see you've discovered our latest culinary delight. It's something my son Robert devised. He has named it 'Pizza.'"

My eyebrows arch in surprise and admiration.

"Pizza, you say? It smells wonderful. I've never encountered anything quite like it. And you created it, Robert? How did you accomplish this?"

Steffon's smile broadens with a hint of pride in his eyes.

"Robert has a knack for such things. He's always experimenting with new ideas. This one has quickly become a favourite in our household.", the Lord of Storm's End says with pride. I can see that he understands the implications of inventing something like this. 

My gaze travels to Robert, who is laughing heartily. His laugh is infectious and I can't help but smile when I see it. The only one who isn't laughing is Stannis. I do wonder what his heart is made of. And yet, Robert seems to trust him wholeheartedly. 

"You give me too much credit Father. I tried to do something and it worked somehow. No need to make it more than it is. A flat loaf of bread, eaten with some tomato sauce and spices. Nothing special about it.", Robert says.

I don't know why he tries to be so humble or if he truly is this humble. He has all the reason to be arrogant and proud ... But I can sense a deep pride in him. It was the reason he didn't fall for the provocations and jests from Andros. He told me everything about it and I have to say I am impressed. Andros tried to belittle him and said Robert was an idiot who took the insults about himself. But I can see the truth of the matter. 

There is an undeniable magnetism to him, a blend of strength and intelligence that I found increasingly appealing. This combination is so very rare in this world. His strong features softened by his seemingly genuine smile, the way he commands attention without effort ... it is all so very… alluring.

"Your son is quite remarkable. To create something so unique, and so delightful to the senses… You have my thanks for letting us taste this culinary delight, Lord Robert.", I say.

"Think nothing of it. It was my father who chose to set the dish on the table. You should thank him for that.", Robert says again shifting the gratitude somewhere else. 

"Robert is full of surprises. He has a passion that is ... infectious and terribly stressful.", Steffon chuckles. I see there are some secrets here. I am interested to find out what they are. 

.

.

(Elia Martell POV)

Mother reaches for a slice with the cutlery but Robert stops her.

"No, princess. We eat pizza with our hands here. That's what the bowl is for, next to your plate, to wash your hands from the dirt of the road.", Robert says and points at a small bowl sitting next to our glasses. I was wondering what this was for. It smells of lemons. 

"And how should we wash our hands? It is far too small.", Mother asks. 

"Well, you washed your hands already before eating, at least I hope you took my advice on that. Now you only have to dip your fingers into the bowl.", Robert says and demonstrates. 

"I see and why do we do this? Custom or a ritual?"

"No, it is a habit I picked up from my healing days."

"Your healing days? Are you telling me they are over? Surely you wouldn't throw away such talent so quickly after discovering it?", Mother asks.

"I am not throwing anything away, just putting it on hold since I have much to do now that I'm back in Storm's End."

"I see."

"Then I would like to try this Pizza now.", Mother says and copies what Robert does. 

She takes a small bite, and then stops her movement ... and then ... she moans.

"Mmmmmmm"

This surprises both me and Andros. For a moment I believed something happened but I recognised that moan. Andros should know that moan as well. But ... how?

"Ohhh, Gods be good that is some of the best food I have ever had the delight of putting into my mouth. The combination of textures ... the crispy crust, the creamy cheese and the sauce ... this is art. Simply extraordinary."

As the meal progressed, I found my eyes moving back to Robert constantly, my interest in the young man growing with each passing moment. The way he moved, the way he spoke with a mix of confidence and strength ... it all intrigues me greatly.

The meal wore on with me warming up to the Baratheons more and more. It is hard not to if you have someone like Robert at the table. He is not impertinent or boastful. He doesn't need to speak all the time or tell me about his great exploits like so many other young nobles I have met in the past few years. In fact, Robert doesn't ever speak about himself or what he managed to achieve in his short life. Instead, he speaks about Stannis, his family or Storm's End. It is as if he is trying to stay a secret.

"Say Elia would you not like to have a look at Storm's End? There is still a lot of time. I myself can't do that, since old age is getting to me so I need some rest.", Mother asks me suddenly. Old age ... right you look better than I do. But I appreciate the gesture. 

"That is a good idea. Robert, Stannis why don't you two show Elia around the town a bit? I'm sure it will be quite different to what she knows of in Dorne.", Lord Steffon agrees.

"Sure we can do that."

"Indeed.", is all that Stannis says. 

"Good, then it's decided."

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It's not always about sex. These couple of chapters give the Elia Martell and her mother in my story a face and a character.