Myrcella
The Hand did not command or insist; he merely asked that Myrcella be sent to King's Landing. Yet he voiced the king's thoughts and wishes, and the king's requests were little different from orders. Refusal could be interpreted in many ways—from simple neglect to open defiance.
Prince Doran sent a letter to Oberyn, and the reply he received clarified the situation somewhat. The Lannisters agreed to a trial by combat and were prepared to hand over the Mountain on one condition: Princess Myrcella was to return to King's Landing for the duration.
It was a clever move—Doran recognized that at once. A duel could end in many ways, and the Lannisters were clearly playing for safety.
Prince Doran spent several days deep in thought. The situation was troubling. He did not wish to release the hostage, yet an identical hostage—his own brother—was now being held in the Red Keep. He could have found reasons to delay Myrcella's departure, but then the duel would never take place.
In the end, Doran made his decision and allowed Myrcella to return to the capital. Of course, he did not permit his own children to accompany her. That would have been far too reckless.
And Myrcella wept once more. But this time for a different reason—she was leaving Dorne, her beloved, and returning home.
Human hearts are strangely made: at first they fear the unfamiliar, then they grow accustomed to it, and at last cannot bear to part with it.
Myrcella stood on the deck of the ship, gazing sadly at the Martells who had come to see her off. They were surrounded by guards and several dignitaries whom Prince Doran had sent to escort his noble guest.
Arianne tried to smile and waved her slender hand. Quentyn looked gloomy, yawned, and did not even attempt to hide his foul mood. Trystane, on the other hand, looked sad and hurt. The night before, he had climbed the wall to her chamber and been so gentle and desperate, pleading with her to give him that night, that Myrcella had needed all her strength and resolve to refuse him.
In Dorne, bastards were treated with tolerance and granted nearly the same rights as children born in wedlock.
But Dorne was Dorne, and King's Landing was another world entirely. There, a child born out of wedlock was judged very differently.
Therefore, Myrcella found the wisdom—and the courage—to hold her ground. She refused the prince, and now both of them were tormented by what had happened. Or by what had not happened, depending on how one chose to see it.
"I will remember you and write to you," Trystane called after her. He spoke as if they were parting forever.
Myrcella's heart ached, and tears streamed down her cheeks.
The stern, iron-clad Ser Arys Oakheart stood behind the princess, his expression equally somber. The knights of the Kingsguard were sworn to chastity, yet despite his vows, he left his mistress in Dorne.
Myrcella walked to the stern and stood there, gripping the railing, until the figure of her beloved vanished from the quay. She remained there long after Sunspear sank beneath the horizon. Only several hours later did she allow Ser Arys to guide her to her cabin.
The voyage was swift and calm. King's Landing greeted her with flowers and applause, as though the most cherished guest in the realm had arrived.
Nearly her entire family awaited her at the harbor—her mother, Tyrion, his wife Sansa, Joffrey and Margaery, Tommen, and Jaime.
Her mother embraced her first, even kissing her cheek. Then Joffrey stepped forward and, to her surprise, hugged her tightly, pressed her to his chest, and said:
"I'm so glad to see you, little sister! You look beautiful!"
His eyes were smiling, and he truly seemed happy. Myrcella was astonished by how much he had changed over the past six months—he had grown taller, more composed, and behaved unlike the boy she remembered, as if he had finally become a man. For a fleeting moment, it seemed to her that this older, very caring and kind brother might truly protect her.
"Myrcella!" A girl of medium height and breathtaking beauty approached and embraced her warmly. "I'm Margaery. And I truly hope we'll be friends."
That evening, a feast was held. Myrcella was seated beside the royal couple, and all night long she spoke of herself and her life in Dorne.
Sansa sat on her other side, with Tyrion behind her. Her uncle, as ever, supplied a steady stream of caustic remarks about the Dornish—their food, their clothing, their customs. Myrcella laughed at his jests; how she had missed that! Even Sansa could not help smiling quietly once or twice.
Even before the feast, Cersei had tried to open her daughter's eyes to who Sansa Stark truly was—a traitor's daughter, spoiled and spiteful.
From Tyrion's words, however, a very different picture emerged. And as Myrcella came to know Sansa better, she realized that the image painted by her perceptive and observant uncle was far closer to the truth than what her own mother had tried to impress upon her.
The following day, the duel took place—Ser Gregor Clegane against Oberyn Martell. Myrcella consulted with Margaery and Sansa, and together they decided not to attend. Moreover, she felt no joy at the thought of watching the Red Viper.
Myrcella had always possessed a kind heart and a merciful nature. And she had an instinctive gift for sensing the pain of others.
Now, as she began to reacquaint herself with life in the Red Keep, she understood more clearly with each passing day how complex everything was here—how cautious people were of one another, how much mistrust and quiet malice lingered beneath the surface…
Sansa suffered most of all. She was, in truth, alone. Her home lay far away in the North, and those she loved had been killed or driven into exile. Joffrey, Margaery, and Tommen did not mistreat her, but neither did they pay her much attention, and she herself did not seek it.
Myrcella felt deep compassion—for she had known something similar not so long ago. But Dorne, if not entirely, had grown fond of her. And there had been Trystane—he alone had been worth a hundred friends.
Sansa, by contrast, was abandoned and unhappy. And Myrcella decided that she would try to make her life a little easier…
(End of Chapter)
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