Redemption || Oberyn Martell

Chapter XII

Elia asked, putting Aegon back on his bassinet. "Then what's wrong?" 

Cassandra trailed off, not sure how to continue. "I have known that I would marry Ned for years. I consider him one of my dearest companions but now that it is actually happening, I find myself wondering.."

"If you're doing the right thing?" Elia asked knowingly, a comforting smile on her face as if she knew what the other woman was going through. 

"Yes." Cassandra nodded, her friend putting to words exactly what she was feeling. 

Elia approached, a somber expression on her face as she laid her hand on her shoulder. "You are. Your parents wanted you to be happy and you will be marrying a man who loves you, who would do everything to make you happy. I see nothing wrong with that. A life with love is worth it." 

"And there's also the matter that he is not an old, ugly, monstrous being. I say you're making the right choice." Ashara added, making them all break down into laughter, dissolving the calm mood. 

Their laughter was interrupted when guards burst into the chambers, their armors decorated by the Targaryen coat of arms. 

"What is the meaning of this?" Elia demanded, glaring fiercely at the guards who, without any decorum, charged inside the room with no explanation whatsoever. 

Two of the guards grabbed Cassandra's arms, roughly waking the young princess she had been carrying. Rhaenys immediately began to wail as her aunt kept a tight grip on her, not wanting to drop the child. 

"Cassandra Baratheon, you are arrested on the king's orders for conspiring against the Crown." One of the guards announced as they pulled her to the door. 

"No, you can't do this!" Ashara exclaimed, shoving away one of the guards who held onto Cassandra, who had been frozen in shock at the accusation that was spoken against her.

In response, the rest of them unsheathed their swords and looked to be on the defense, as though it was a real attack. Rhaenys started crying louder, not understanding what was happening.

"Wait!" Cassandra cried out, looking at everyone in the room, especially Elia and Ashara, not wanting them to put themselves in a position to get hurt. "Stop, I'll go with you peacefully just let me put the princess down."

"Cassandra, no. I will not allow this." Elia declared, prepared to fight for her friend. She had been a princess all her life and she would not back down because of men in armor.  

"I am innocent and I know it. I will face these accusations and I will be back soon." Cassandra reasoned, forcing a smile on her face and extending the child back to her mother. "Take Rhaenys. I shall return to tell her stories before she goes to bed. I promise." 

Once Rhaenys was back in her mother's arms, Cassandra communicated with her friends silently, willing them not to follow after her. She could handle this, whatever this was. With that, the guards escorted her out of the chambers and in the direction of the throne room. 

The walk there was silent but for the clanging of the metal armor and the loud footsteps against the stone floor. She could not understand the accusation against her for she had done nothing to merit it. By the time they had arrived at the throne room, she was still at a loss for her reason to be there. 

Cassandra's eyes widened as she walked in, recognizing the king on the throne and his Kingsguard. But that was not what surprised her. It was the fact that Brandon Stark was in King's Landing, restrained by guards just as she was. The last she heard of him, he was on his way to Riverrun to marry Catelyn Tully.

"Brandon?" Cassandra uttered in disbelief as she was dragged to the front and forced on her knees before the iron throne and the man that sat upon it.