VI

You bit down onto your nails as you listened to Oberyn and his brother shouting inside Doran's room.

He had just arrived at the water gardens after you had sent your father a raven with a letter written by yourself, trying to make sure he would understand your actions and that you were here by your own will.

The shouts you were hearing from inside made you, frown and shiver. All your life, you heard Doran Martell was a weak man, quiet and pacific.

He didn't sound weak and pacific at all.

"She is my wife," your husband shouted at last. "No one is sending her anywhere."

The room fell into silence, and you could see how Oberyn's daughters were watching you from afar.

"They can't send you back," Nym affirmed from her spot. "Don't worry about that."

That was not what was worrying you.

Your father was an old man, weak and frail.

Maybe you shouldn't have left. Maybe you should have wed in King's Landings and gone back to his room and announce it to him.

But you were impatient. Your passion had won, and now you had insulted the North, cause stress over the country and angered your father.

You didn't regret it, no, but… But you could have done it differently.

Dear gods, you just hoped you didn't cause your father's doom.

You covered your face with a hand, breathing in deep.

The door opened, and you raised your eyes, finding your husband walking out of the room in angry steps.

"He's been telling me to find a wife for over 20 years," he turned his eyes back to the room. "I found a wife and now..."

"I told you to find a wife, not to steal one!" his brother shouted.

You heard a snicker from the place where the girls were standing, and Obara was covering her mouth.

"What?" she hissed. "It is kinda funny."

"He did steal you," Lady Nym pointed out, looking directly at you. "You can't deny that."

You sighed.

There was no denying your relationship started in a complicated way.

Before you could answer, however, the doors opened and Oberyn walked out of the room, and you sighed, pondering with yourself for a moment before walking into the room they'd been, finding his brother standing, looking tired.

"Lady Arryn," he greeted you.

"I can talk to him, sir," you told him.

Doran looked a little confused as he stared at you.

"With Oberyn?" he asked.

"No, sir," you shook your head. "My father. I can talk to him and explain the situation. He will listen to me."

Your brother-in-law's face softened as he breathed in deep.

"You wrote to him, didn't you?"

"Yes, sir," you confirmed. "I explained everything with my own hand and used Oberyn's seal to make sure it got to him."

Doran just nodded gently.

"Then you've done what you could do. We need to wait now to see what we can do."

And wait was what you did. For almost four moons, your life was divided in dealing with your father through letters and just spending time with Oberyn, hoping things wouldn't end badly.

For a long time, your father wasn't convinced you had come by your own will, that you had run away and was the one who took that decision, and not even the dozens of letters that you'd written to convince him were enough for that. Finally, he had accepted Doran's invitation to come to Dorne and see for himself that you were happy and at home with your new family.

And that wasn't the only thing he was going to see.

When the day came, you could see a large group reaching the Water Gardens from all sides. The beaches and the road were swarmed by men from the vale and its surroundings. Your home, however, was deserted. There were barely any guards - only enough to keep you safe -, the Sand Snakes were hidden away, and whatever army your brother-in-law had called wasn't around. They would show up in case they were needed, but the goal of everything was to show the Dornish weren't looking for a fight, but were looking for peace.

"I don't like this," your husband hissed by your side.

Oberyn was standing in a protective way, half a step in front of you, lacking any armour but certainly hiding a weapon or two in case he needed to defend himself or you.

"He will listen," you affirmed. "I know he will."

Oberyn placed a large hand over your stomach, silently looking down on where you had the smallest of bumps growing slowly.

You had told him so much you wanted a baby, that the gods had blessed you rather quickly.

Now there was no way your father would even be able to take you away. Even if he ignored you, even if he believed with everything he had in himself that you were here unwillingly, if he even tried to take you away, he would be stealing not only a Princess of Dorne, but the Prince's child too.

"Your grace," you two heard.

You turned to look at your side, and your handmaid shot you a hesitant look.

"Lord Arryn is here."

Your husband stood straighter and tense by your side, and when your father walked into the room, you felt your heart becoming tiny in your chest. Your father looked older than ever, tired and overworked.

For a minute, all you wanted was to run to him and wrap your arms around him.

When his eyes fell on you, you could see as his eyes were filled with several emotions you could barely read.

"Y/N..." he whispered.

"Father," you swallowed down.

Silence and tension were thick between the three of you, and the moment your father stepped one step closer to you, Oberyn was quick to put himself as a shield in front of you, causing your father's guards to do the same with him.

"It's okay," you placed a hand on your husband's back. "Please."

"Lord Arryn," Doran called behind you, and you all looked in his direction. "Let's sit down."

"I would rather not," he spoke, not looking away from you. "I'm here for my daughter."

"I'm here," you said simply.

"Alone," your father said answered, not looking convinced.

Oberyn held your hand quickly, squeezing it tightly.

"I'm not leaving Oberyn," you affirmed, simply. "If that's what you're here to try to convince me into, you've come for nothing."

He frowned, eyebrows coming together as he watched you, surprise and shock covering his face.

"I'm not going to snatch you away," he affirmed. "Please. Don't I deserve a minute alone with my only daughter?"

"Whatever you have to say to my wife, you can say it in front of me," Oberyn answered before you could say anything.

"Oberyn," Doran hissed.

"What?!" he barked, shooting him a glance.

You squeezed his hand and placed a kiss on the side of his shoulder.

"He's my father, Oberyn," you whispered. "He's an old man. What do you expect him to do? Throw me over his shoulder and run?"

When you glanced at him, your father was glaring at the two of you, and you were unsure if it was for the intimate way you were talking to your husband or the words you'd used.

"Give Lady Y/N and Lord Arryn a minute," Doran instructed his brother. "They haven't seen one another in almost half a year. Wouldn't you want to have a moment with your daughters after so long if it was you?"

Oberyn looked at you, silently questioning you.

"Let me have a minute with him," you asked.

Finally, your husband nodded, and stepped away from you, and looked over a side door that gave place to a private room.

"I'll stay outside," he told you, then looked at your father. "Your guards too. And I'll come in if I even hear her becoming distressed."

Your father didn't answer anything to him, just walking into the room, and when the door was closed behind you, he wrapped his arms around you tightly, breathing out as you relaxed onto his grip.

"My birdie... We can go back home now. The guards will help us makes a swift escape. We will be back in King's Landing in..."

"No," you interrupted him. "Father, I told you already, I'm not going back. Dorne is my home now."

His face changed to surprise and shock, as if the information was completely new to him.

"I sent you letters!" you reminded him. "I said it over and over, how could you not know that?!"

He was still confused as he stared at you.

"I thought he was forcing you."

You shook your head, sitting down on the nearest chair.

"Y/N, you left without a note or a warning in the middle of the night! We couldn't find you, we didn't hear anything about you for over a fortnight!"

You covered your face with a hand.

"I know," you groaned. "I know, I... I'll admit, it was something that could be scary..."

"Something that could be scary?" he interrupted you, raising his voice. "You disappeared!"

You shot up to your feet when you heard him nearly screaming, ready to defend yourself.

"What did you expect me to do?!" you shouted back. "You were going to sell me off to the Starks, I had no other choice!"

The door to the room slammed open and Oberyn strode to your side, ready to place himself in front of you and protect you from whatever danger he thought was threatening you, and your father's guards were just two steps into the room when he raised a hand.

"Go back," he commanded them. "Our conversation isn't over yet."

Oberyn didn't move, however, and just continued to glare at your father.

"Why did you do that?" he asked you, completely ignoring your husband. "You could have stayed, you could have done things in an honourable way!"

"Honour is for show, father," you told him. "Honour is a thing you are known as. It doesn't fill your stomach, it doesn't make you sleep better at night, and it doesn't make you happy!"

He stared at you, suddenly speechless.

"You could have just told me," he whispered. "Am I such a monster that you didn't trust me enough to respect your wishes?"

You closed your eyes.

"Father..."

"You could have just told me!" he insisted. "If you didn't want to marry Robb... I wouldn't force you!"

You shook your head. No, you didn't believe he would respect your wishes. Your father wasn't a bad parent, but he certainly wasn't a comprehensive one. He always had his way, one way or another.

"No, you wouldn't force me," you agreed with him.

"Exactly, I-"

"You would have used logic with me," you interrupted him, not letting him speak. "You would have argued that everyone already knew, that Lord Stark would be hurt if you broke an engagement that held such high importance between our houses. Maybe you wouldn't force me, father, but you would wear me down until you had your way and I did what you wanted."

The room fell into silence, and neither you nor your father - or Oberyn 0 said anything for a long time, until you raised your voice again.

"This is my home now," you told him. "A home I chose, with a husband I chose. And if you can't accept that... well, you can just leave."

Your father's eyes moved between you and Oberyn for a long moment, and his shoulders dropped in defeat.

"Prince Oberyn," he spoke slowly. "I'd like to talk to you and your brother alone for a moment."

"I'm not leaving my wife alone," your husband said simply.

Your father seemed incredulous for a moment, but before he could answer, Obara, Lady Nym and Tyene walked into the room.

"We'll stay with her," the oldest Sand Snake told him. "You can go."

The two men stepped away from the room and closed the door behind themselves, leaving you alone with your step-daughters.

"Did you tell him about the baby?" Tyene asked you.

You shook your head.

"No, not yet," you sighed. "I thought it was a lot already that he had to face that his daughter ran away and... all that."

She agreed with a little sound, and your group just fell into silence until the door was opened again, and your husband and father walked into the room.

None of them said anything, and your father walked to you, wrapping his arms around you and holding you tightly.

When he looked back at you, he had tears in his eyes, and they actually fell on his cheeks when his gaze moved to your stomach.

"And you didn't even tell me," he whispered.

You glanced at Oberyn, and he shrugged.

"Doran told him the news."

You felt your cheeks a little warm, and offered your father an embarrassed smile.

"I thought it was too much information for just one conversation," you muttered.

Your father smiled and reached for your hands, kissing them gently.

"Dorne is closer to King's Landing than the North," he noticed. "It'll be... it'll be easier to see you."

"It will," you confirmed.

Finally, he sighed and smiled a bit.

"I need to go now," he told you. "My men are waiting for me and I have to make sure they don't start a war thinking we are being held hostage."

You laughed, holding your father tightly once again and kissing his cheek.

"Thank you for understanding, dad," you whispered. "I love you."

He smiled largely.

"I love you too, my little bird."

You followed him out, and watched from your balcony as your father left with his man, with your husband by your side and, for the first time in your life, a feeling of full completion inside you.

"What did he ask of you?" you questioned him. "When you were alone."

Oberyn swallowed down, turning to look at you.

"We talked about the Vale," he told you. "He doesn't trust your stepmother and is afraid of your little brother's health. If it ever comes to it, you'll be his heir once again, and he wanted to make sure you were married into a family that would support you and let you be the Lady of the Eerie, and not just a wife."

You closed your eyes silently. You could understand what he meant. Robert was a sickly boy, and Lysa was an insane woman.

"If he dies," Oberyn continued. "You are to be your brother's guardian. There is a document already signed and sealed by the king."

You confirmed with a little nod, and hugged yourself.

"Was that all?" you asked.

"If you'd like to know," he chuckled. "Robb was quite happy when he heard you were married to someone else, and he wouldn't have to marry you."

You laughed, relaxing. That was good. Robb was a good friend, but a brother to you. The two of you would probably not be very happy together.

"Also," he spoke softly. "He also told me that now I have the most precious bird flying in my gardens, a rare and beautiful bird who was his most beloved person in the world. He told me to take good care of her, and give her all the love that he didn't give her, and make her the happiest bird in the world."

Your eyes fell up with tears as he spoke, and Oberyn cradled your face in his hand, swiping a thumb over your cheek to dry your skin.

"And I promised him I would do my best."

When you smiled, one of his hands moved down to your stomach, laying his palm on your small bump.

"For both of you."