IV

You had Oberyn's mouth on you and a pillow muffling your voice when you heard a knock on the door of the cabin he had arranged for the two of you.

You had spent a full week at sea, something you weren't exactly used to, but got adapted to very well. The crew was full of Dornish men and women, and they all treated you well and respectfully.

"The septon is here, my prince," the man on the other side announced. "And your daughters just as well."

You frowned, lifting your head, and your lover stepped away from you.

"We'll be out in a minute."

You frowned, confused as he dressed himself up.

"The septon?" you repeated, confused. "The septon is here?"

"Yes," he opened the chest at the end of the bed you two were sharing.

You still didn't move, continuing to stare at him as he pulled out a dress from inside someone had brought you the previous night.

"Well, you said you want to get married," he reminded you, sitting on the mattress.

The answer made you freeze, confused as you stared at him.

"Now?" you asked.

Yes, you wanted to get married. The one reason you accepted coming to Dorne with Oberyn was that he had promised to marry you, which would stop you from being forced back to King's Landing. But you expected the two of you to do it later, or in the castle, right?

Apparently, you were getting married on the ship.

"I… uh..." you hesitated. "I expected it to be a little different?"

Oberyn's hand moved to you, holding your hand, and you waited silently as you breathing in deep.

"We can always go back," he told you. "If you want to."

You had been to many wedding in your life, some in the Eerie but most in King's Landing, in the Great Sept of Baelor, and if you were honest, you always expect that when it happened to you, it would be there.

At no moment of your life, you thought you'd get married on a ship.

"I don't want to go back," you told him. "I want to be with you."

Your lover's lips curled in a little smile, and he raised your hand to his lips, kissing your knuckles softly.

"We can wait," he told you. "I can send them away."

At least, you shook your head.

"No," you decided. "We'll do it."

The second information fell upon you right as your decision was taken. Oberyn's daughters were here, waiting for the two of you.

Oberyn Martell was an adventurer, and the number of bastard children he had fathered was a sign of that. The oldest one was fathered when he wasn't even a full-grown man, and they were all older than you, except for the youngest, Sarella.

The fact made you tense.

Oberyn had had many women. A man like him should probably be with an experienced woman, but he chose you.

Would his family accept that?

"Do you think they'll dislike me?" you asked. "I'm not… you know."

Oberyn stared at you, tilting his head.

"You're not…?" he repeated.

You looked for words. Not the kind of woman people expected to be with him.

Or strong. Or more than just a young lady.

"I'm young," you mumbled. "I didn't live a lot."

Oberyn stood up, moving to you and laying a soft kiss on your lips.

You were suddenly feeling like a cornered child.

"My daughters know what to expect and what not to expect from me," he declared, staring into your eyes. "They know me and trust me."

You nodded, and Oberyn kissed you again, cradling your face as you felt yourself relaxing.

"I fell in love with you," he told you, whispering against your lips. "They'll love you too."

You chuckled, feeling your cheeks reddening as a thought crossed your mind.

"What?" he asked, curious. "What is it?"

"You're fucking me," you whispered, the word still strange to your lips. "They are not."

Oberyn laughed out loud, beautiful lips spreading in a smile as his eyes closed, and a warm sound came from him.

"I can't disagree with that, my love," he pointed out.

You took in a deep breath and stood up from the bed.

"Well, then," you turned to him. "We shall not make them wait."

. . .

Out of Oberyn's four daughters, only three of them were present: Obara, Nymeria and Tyene were present. Sarella, your lover told you, was out for her own business. Of all of them, Tyene was certainly the sweetest with you, hugging you and kissing your cheeks when her father introduced her to you. She was gentle, with a sweet voice and innocent looking face, completely different from her sisters, the only one between them who didn't share her father's tanned skin and dark hair, though her eyes were just as deep and haunting as his.

The other two sisters looked more alike. Obara was the oldest, already 30, and looked stronger than many men you'd met in your life. Her small eyes looked angry even when you were assured she wasn't. Nymeria – Lady Nym, she said herself – had her father's widow peak, elegant figure, black hair and olive skin, You didn't know what to think of them, but they certainly looked dangerous.

You had a feeling Tyene was more similar to them than she looked.

"Lady Arryn, uh?" the middle one asked you, eyeing you from head to toe. "Welcome to Dorne."

"How long did it take for you to decide to run away with him?" Obara asked.

You shifted on your spot, a little bit uncomfortable.

"A few weeks," you told her, swallowing down.

Obara nodded slowly.

"You're beautiful," she declared. "Are you smart?"

You stared at her for a moment, embarrassed, unsure if she was reacting negatively on positively to you.

"Very much," Oberyn said by your side.

"Don't be mean to her, Obara," Tyene walked to you, putting her hands on your shoulders. "We'll have a stepmother now. At least we know she'll be a nice one."

You nodded quickly.

"I don't want to be an authority in your lives," you affirmed quickly to the women in front of you. "I'm just… marrying your father."

"We know," Nymeria told you, looking over her older sister. "She's not as angry as she looks."

You nodded slowly, and the septon cleared his throat, walking to your group.

"Shall we?" he asked.

You confirmed, and the girls walked back as the crew from the ship reunited a few steps from you and Oberyn, and you finally understood why he had chosen to do it there and then. There were more than a dozen witnesses present. If someone ever tried to say this wedding didn't happen, or that you were coerced into it, they would have almost two tens of people to prove that you were here willingly.

Many things weren't present here and now. There was no cloak over your shoulders, just a silky ivory gown that exposed more skin than you had ever exposed in public, and no one escorted you to stand in front of the septon, you and your future husband were there and he had approached you.

Still, the man continued with the same speeches you'd heard before. Seven vows and seven blessings, and you and Oberyn made seven promises to one another. To love and respect each other, to be friends and a family to one another, and to be there in the moments of sickness and health. For richer and poorer, the two of you would be together, and you would always choose one another and your children above anyone else.

"If anyone wishes to speak against this marriage," the older man declared. "Speak now, or forever hold your tongue."

No one said anything, and the septon pulled the long cloth around his neck up, wrapping it around your hands and standing straighter to speak up.

"With this, I seal these people together as husband and wife, a family, and anyone who comes against them will be damned."

He removed the fasting cloth, raised a hand to the to of you.

"Now, say your vows and seal with a kiss," he affirmed.

You confirmed with a nod, and the two of you turned to one another.

"With this kiss, I pledge my love," you two declared.

Your lips touched, and Oberyn kissed you gently, pulling away from you with a small smile, speaking in unison with you again.

"And take you for my lady and wife."

"And take you for my lord and husband."