The Red Viper's Lair (Oberyn Martell)

[Solan Dayne]

Several Weeks before the current date, two days after his meeting with Yronwood

Sunspear

Solan marveled for a few moments at the sights of the great buildings around him. Sure, Starfall was beautiful but this place had a beauty that could never be matched by Starfall through its importance. This was where the Princedom of Dorne ruled for hundreds of years, so many that Solan's life span would never allow him to see its eventual fall but the history ingrained in every inch and stone fascinated him beyond compare. What more was the flora he was privy too, sure he had seen most Dornish plants but some here were of the kind that he had never seen, perhaps they were from the free cities, plants not native to Dorne itself which meant that Solan's journey would force him all the more to be ready for this.

He shook his head, he was here to meet with the prince of dorne, one of the two atleast. Oh how the princedom confused him quite a bit. Starfall was in a curious place, close enough to the Reach to follow its ways, but also in dorne to follow its wars, a mixture, a melting pot. A bridge between hated enemies that could ease tensions and gain land that are near impossible other wise, most of all for the reach. He was irritated with how many disputes he heard about involving the Reach and it was a constant annoyance that made him want to simply handle everything himself... Perhaps this meeting would allow for such after all.

[Oberyn Martell]

Oberyn sat with his legs stretched out and his feet on the table, boredly wondering what Solan Dayne was planning. It was not unusual for certain Dornish lords to hire some ships and sail the world, though it was unusual for a Dayne. The Daynes had more Andal blood than they had Rhoynar, and for that, Oberyn mistrusted them. Solan was obviously seeking something, but what?

Despite his concerns, Oberyn had prepared himself to host the visiting lord. For the occasion, Oberyn wore a splendid silk tunic, with the sun and spear of House Martell sewn into the chest. A simple sword hung from his hip, though Oberyn doubted he would have need of it. Sunspear was his, and Solan's men would be watched closely during the their lord's visit. Plus, the two guards armed with crossbows standing by the doors would protect Oberyn with their lives.

Oberyn had prepared a delicious table spread for the Lord of Starfall. Fresh-baked pitas, loaded with chickpea paste, purple oloves, and fets cheese sat on the table near Oberyn's dashing leather boots. The rather bland-tasting food was starkly contrasted by the strength and spice in the wine Oberyn had selected. He held a goblet of the drink in his right hand. Oberyn also believed that Solan would enjoy the complete lack of poison in the food. Despite his suspicions, Oberyn had no reason to kill the man. Better yet, one of Oberyn's cooks was preparing a bowl of fat apricots drenched in spiced syrup so sweet it made the tongue tickle, though the appearance of these apricots would depend on how the meeting went.

Glancing out through the window, Oberyn noticed the presence of several new ships docked in Sunspear's small port. He smiled, soon the Lord of Starfall would arrive, and the game could begin.

[Solan Dayne]

Solan smiled as he walked down the halls, scanning over them like one would over a room of treasure. He had to remember why he was here though, he was here in order to make sure that Dorne would not reveal the being he had been in contact with. He knew her name now but not if she would meet him or of her state in returning to Westeros... he would convince her in Essos and was sure it would be of an easy manner. But first... first he had to make sure that the Dornish lords would not turn her over the first chance they got, no it was far too early for that and if he could return the Targaryen bloodline to where it belongs.

Only a few knew of his connection to the Targaryen bloodline, or rather his support for it. And even fewer knew of his hate for the Baratheon bloodline that caused the Rebellion and from there his brother's and Rhaegar's deaths all because Robert was scorned. The man wanted power, that was all it was if he had loved a woman like he claimed he did the man would not have sired so many bastards they could create their own house and castle maned just by them alone. It would be hilarious though, Robert repeating the feats of Aemon the Unworthy and siring so many bastards it was hilarious they didn't become their own version of the Blackfyres.

None the less, Solan shrugged and straightened the bladeat his side before pushing through the doors and smiling as the lighting in the room and the visage of the man instantly relaxed him. 'So it seems the Red Viper isn't like the others... good, formalities will probably be minimal.' He thought to himself, eyes scanning over the grounds and hands leaving the blade as he smiled wider and clapped his hands together. "Oberyn Martell..." He began, one hand hovering over his chest and fist clasped over his heart while the other crossed behind him before he bowed. "My Prince, i apologize for the short notice of my visit, though i suspected you would be curious as to why my meager fleet entered your docks. Even if only seven ships."

[Oberyn Martell]

Oberyn's eyes lifted up to gaze upon the man who called himself Solan Dayne. To be honest, The Sword of the Mourning had looked much more formidable than the Dayne who stood before Oberyn now; however, the Red Viper knew for a fact that it was the harmless ones that should be feared the most. Looks could be dreadfully deceiving. Even though Dayne's hand had fell away from the hilt of his blade, another dagger could be hidden up his sleeve. Oberyn's own silk sleeve held a few hidden surprises of its own.

While Solan Dayne bowed, Oberyn Martell occupied himself by draining the contents of his cup. "I am curious indeed", Oberyn had answered Solan, "One of my daughters has noted several ravens flying in and out of Starfall".

Oberyn liked to take people by surprise, and put them on the defensive. No doubt Solan would be surprised by the fact that Oberyn possessed some knowledge on those ravens, though unfortunately Oberyn had no idea what those messages could have said.

"Take a seat, you must surely be weary and hungry from your journey", Oberyn offered as he waved his hand in the direction of the food platter. Removing his foot from the table, Oberyn sat up and refilled his goblet before pouring one for Solan.

Oberyn flashed Solan a wicked smile.

"Tell me what brings you to the Viper's nest?"

[Solan Dayne]

A smile touched his face as the words flowed from the red viper. 'He knows im meeting with someone...' His smile didn't even hide itself as he should have expected his sand snakes to keep a watch on Star fall. The Daynes were never a family that followed the Dornish customs to a T but there was something he did appreciate. 'The Viper will be a hard one to understand, perhaps i should start with the studies.

"Thank you Prince Martell, its been a while since i last tiem i had had such a good vintage of drink. To be honest i barely drink as it is so excuse me if i dont do so too much." He walked and looked around at the planets that he could see if any. "You are very knowledgeable... Which of the Sand snakes told you about my raven's if you might allow me the knowledge... Was it the beautiful Nymeria or dangerous Obera?" He tapped his hand with  a smile that only grew at this. 'Its a game...' His mind started. '... A game i play every day, you are more dangerous than me Oberyn but let us see what this meeting will spawn.'

"I guess what brought me here was its been so long since ive seen the inner  halls and the lands of Sunspear. A lively place i had forgotten, and the plants ive seen, a few specimens i had never even seen before. I cant wait to spend the time studying such flora after our meeting and adapting them to the garden in Starfall that is kept."

[Oberyn Martell]

Oberyn watched the smile gradually widen on Solan's face. Why the man was smiling so much, Oberyn did not know. It was rude of Solan to subtley deny Oberyn's invitation, but Oberyn let the slight pass. Instead of answering Solan's question about the sand snakes, Oberyn popped an dark purple olive into his mouth before letting the man continue. Solan's question went unanswered.

Oberyn suspected that House Dayne was interested in joining the ugly war that was currently ripping Westeros apart. Oberyn, however, was determined to maintain Dorne's nuetrality until his plans came into fruition.

"Yes", Oberyn replied after hearing Solan's reason for visiting, "The flowers of Dorne are beautiful indeed". Oberyn's solar was decorated with several exotic plants unique to the dry heat of Dorne. The lush greens and bright reds lit up the otherwise bland room. "The flowers of the Reach may be more colourful and sweet-smelling, but Dorne's flowers know how to survive even the harshest weather".

[Solan Dayne]

"I must add a few to the gardens i keep in Starfall... such a beautiful place. But what i am here for is not such." His hands crossed behind him and he moved to the chair as he pulled it out with a smile on his face still. "Well, seeing as i am caught red handed by the Red Viper of Dorne i suppose i will have to leave out that part of my story, though i do suspect you want to know who it is that i have been so frequently conversing with. Ill give you a riddle, though i suspect you will understand it immediately. For it is a serpent of fire that fire may kill for which i have found myself in contact with and it is that serpent that has provided me with a very... curious idea. One i am sure you would like to hear, alone that is."

Solan's eyes moved around the hall as he picked out the guards and any left over servants, the words clear enough that he would rather give his intentions to his prince in private rather than let loose lips destroy what preparations were already in progress. "I have a question before we begin..." He moved to finally sit down and pulled himself in as his smile vanished. "... You lost your sister to the reckless murder that the stags and lions caused in hunting of Rhaegar's love, did you not? And i lost my brother and then sister to grief over the former's death. I ask you this, if there was a way for the fat stag to atone for their deaths beyond the grave. Or for the murderer of your sister's death to die. Would you take it and follow the serpent that could give us cause for this?" The words would only be mentioned after the last servant or guard was gone, otherwise not a single syllable would be said.

[Oberyn Martell]

Oberyn took a brief moment pondered Dayne's riddle. The Targaryen's banner had been a three-headed dragon, and dragons were basically serpents that breathed fire, if the legends were to be believed. Oberyn had always been fond of the dragon legends, but it had been Elia who had memorized every word of them. He smiled faintly. Elia had eventually found herself a dragon, but what had been the cost?

Besides, the Targaryen crest had been a three-headed serpent, and Solan had specifically mentioned a single fire serpent. Perhaps that was because only one Targaryen remained. Oberyn remembered signing the deal in Braavos a decade ago, a pledge to wed Viserys and Adrianne. Was Viserys dead now, or had the little girl, Daenerys lost her life? She had been so small then, barely old enough to lift her eyelids up halfway. Oberyn regretted not forcing Darry to raise the Targaryen heirs in the water gardens, despite the risk.

A serpent could also refer to a snake. The only snakes that came to Oberyn's mind in particular were his daughters, who others had taken to calling the "sand snakes"; however, None of his daughters were associated with fire. Unless Solan had burned one of them. Had he caught Nymeria snooping around Starfall? He had mentioned her name earlier. Anger and suspicioun rushed through Oberyn's veins, but he remained calm on the outside. By now, his thoughts had drifted into harmless speculation.

"The answer to your riddle is a fire wyrm of old Valyria?", he asked with a careless smile on his face, as if this entire conversation was just a game.

Oberyn was slightly taken back by Solan's request for the two of them to be left alone. The Dornish people were known for their fierce loyalty to the Martells, and to Dorne itself, a piece of fine Rhoynish silk alone in a sea of Andal iron. He trusted his guards and his servants. Unfortunately, Solan did not, and Oberyn was interested in what the man had to say.

Turning his head to catch the gaze of his serving woman in the other room, Oberyn gave her a small wink. She disappeared from view for a moment. Smiling at Solan, Oberyn leaned forward and grabbed a piece of pita bread, covered in chickpea paste and feta. He hesitated before putting it into his mouth. Glancing at Solan, Oberyn grabbed a few olives and sprinkled them onto his piece of bread, before covering it all with another chunk, making an improvised olive sandwich. He popped the delicacy into his mouth and washed it down with a shot of wine before the serving girl returned and set a bowl full of plump apricots drenched in a thick orange syrup on the table between the Oberyn and Solan.

Oberyn pulled the woman closer to him and whispered something in her ear. Her cheeks blushed, and she began heading for the guarded door, brushing her hand lightly through Solan's hair as she walked past. At the door, she exchanged a few quiet words with the guards, before all three of them left the room. It was clear where Oberyn's gaze was pointed as the serving woman closed the door behind her.

"Now we are alone", Oberyn commented with an elaborate gesture with his left hand. Meanwhile, his right hand subtley gripped the handle to the small dagger hidden on his belt, just in case Solan was not as honest as he appeared to be.

Oberyn heard Solan's mysterious offer.

They raped her, they killed her, they murdered her children. I will hear them confess, and then I will make them bleed. It was a thought that run through Oberyn's head every time he remembered what the Usurper's dogs had done to poor Elia.

"Elia was my sister", Oberyn remarked, his tone no longer pleasant and friendly, "The Dogs who killed her, the Lions who ordered the deed, and the Stags who the Lions were trying to impress, all will pay. He shook his head. "Tell me, Dayne, what is impressive about a bashing an infant's head against the wall? What is impressive about making that infant's mother watch as you kill her only son?"

Oberyn's words were venom by the time he was finished. "If a fire serpent offered me the vengeance Elia and Dorne deserves, then no, I will not follow this serpent". Oberyn rose, his almond eyes black as blood. "Instead I will lead this serpent down a path of fire and blood, and bleed Elia's killers until they are as dry as Dorne's desert sun".

Oberyn sat down and offered Solan an enigmatical smile. "You will accuse me of high treason, no doubt". It was definately possible that Solan was a spy for the Iron Throne, or at least loyal to the King, but Kings were sprouting up like grass in a meadow at the moment, and Oberyn doubted the Lion or the Stag's ability to bring the King's justice to Dorne when half the realm could not even agree on who the King actually was. Perhaps when Doran passed, Oberyn could raise Dorne's spears and put Quentyn on the Iron Throne. It was worth a try, to say the least.

Thinking back the problem at hand, the Daynes had always been more loyal to the northern traditions and customs than those of the rest of Dorne. Oberyn could always kill Solan if needed, so the matter was basically settled. "Answer your riddle, Lord Dayne", Oberyn urged the Dornishman, before finishing his wine and pouring another glass.

[Solan Dayne]

"A Fire Wyrm of Valyria... i suppose that is correct. As is a lady of Qarth, a Khaleesi, the last dragon, the stormborn..." He began and stopped smiling finally as he leaned back and raised a brow. "What surprises me is if i have now led myself to my death in stating my contact with this Fire Wyrm. But i must ask my Prince..." He drew an eye to one of the pita reaching over slowly and touching it before taking it in hand and continuing. "No, i do not accuse you of high treason, for you did not betray the king or queen of Westeros, not that fat stag mind you that murdered your sister and bled the seven kingdoms over his lost pride and what was probably nothing more than another whore in his eyes. You and I both know the rumors and the truths about that man."

He drew his hand to rest on the table before leaning forward. "I have spoken with Renly Baratheon already, a king that the Northerners would follow, the lords of the Reach and Stormlands love him and i can see why in my conversation with him. But he is still a stag. Then there is Stannis Baratheon, whom i have heard rumors of in following the god of R'hollr, the red god. I have read up on this religion and he is but another mad king, using fear to control his people and a religious fanatic that would bleed this land dry like his brother. Then there is the boy king on the iron throne, Killer of the Lord of the North... Spawn of the usurper. As for the other two i care not about, the Ironborn and the North are but distant memories that i have no need to touch. Even if it was Eddard that was forced to slay my brother."

He paused and tapped his hand on the table. "I apologize for having your guards step out for a moment, i wanted to be sure i knew your fury for myself with not a single person about and for my words to be clear. I was rather thankful though that you would honor me with my request my prince, but there is something of greater importance that i need talk with you about. You said you would not follow this Fire serpent... Are you lying my prince, if so i wonder how long till my execution for my own acts?" He retrieved a small letter from his pockets, or two rather. Unrolling them and sliding them over the table to the hands of Oberyn. "You are the first person to see this outside of myself, she lives Oberyn."

[Oberyn Martell]

He said 'she'. Daenerys lives, but not Viserys. If a such a thought were true, then Adrianne would never wed the Dragon King. Oberyn reached for an olive, examined it, and crushed it between his teeth. Chewing, he pondered this sudden revelation. Perhaps the secret pact made years ago could still be salvaged. Adrianne possessed a younger brother, Quentyn. Daenerys was just as much a dragon as her brother Viserys, and Quentyn was just as much a Martell as Adrianne.

Oberyn was glad to see Solan relax and grab a bite to eat. Following Dayne's words, Oberyn thought of his own opinions on the five kings. Stannis was much too strict and rigid for the Iron Throne, and the crown would surely cause him to snap. Renly, while a man Oberyn was fond of, would make a horrible ruler. The Baratheon on the throne could hardly be blamed for the actions of his parents, but Oberyn knew that it would be neccessary to depose of Joeffry for Dorne's vengeance to be complete. The Young Wolf was winning his battles, but the boy was a Stark. Starks were laughably bad at playing the game of politics. As for Balon, Oberyn couod care less about the Ironborn.

Thus far, Solan's words proved him to be a man who shared Oberyn's beliefs, but words were wind. Oberyn would need Solan to prove his loyalty before Oberyn could trust the Daynes, but such tests could wait. At the moment, Oberyn needed to see the messages Solan had brought.

Taking the messages, Oberyn looked up at Solan and smiled wide. "I would never execute you, my lord, here in the heart of Dorne, assassinations are much more common". His smile faded. "You say she lives, but who is she? You called her many things a moment ago, but how do I know she is the Dragon I need her to be?"

Leaving those words hanging in the air, Oberyn glanced down at the messages to get a glimpse of what they read.