《 LADY WITH THE VEIL 》T. BARATHEON [ DISCONTINUED ]

《 chapter one 》

《 SUNSPEAR 》

Lady Amaryllis was known for many things: her kindness, her wit, her family members, her cunningness and above all.. the rumors about her.

It was said that the poor girl was deformed, some rumor that is was because of an accident in her youth, others think it was already this way when she was born.

All with all: she was said to be extremely ugly and wear a veil because of that.

It was her signature: the silky, partly see-through fabric that covers her face at all times. The only ones to see her without was her mother, who died birthing her, her father and her handmaiden Leila.

Amaryllis wakes up at the feeling of sun raining down on her face. She opens her eyes slowly to see the silhouette of her entrusted friend and handmaiden Leila standing by the windows as she opens the silky, sand coloured curtains.

She turns around to face her lady.

"Hello Lady Amaryllis, did you have a nice sleep," she asks, walking over to her bed to pull her covers from her.

"I told you to call me Amaryllis, or just Ama, a long time ago Leila. Why don't you just do that, we have been friends for so long already," she remarks.

"I know Ama.. but you know that that isn't exactly accepted by your.. uncle," she mumbles softly.

She sits up in her bed and steps out so Leila could make her bed. In the meanwhile she sits on one of the satin couches in the famous sandy and gold colours that Dorne is known for with her breakfast.

She looks at the golden tray with her food: a copper bowl with cherries, a salad, some juice of an exotic fruit called pineapple and bread with olive oil.

As Leila was busy hanging the bedsheets over the bars of the balcony for airing, someone knocks on the double golden doors with jewels of my room.

"Come in," Amaryllis replies, swallowing one of the sweet cherries.

The doors swing open and a tall man with olive coloured skin walks inside, smiling. He was wearing yellow and some sort of orangish-red.

It was her father, Oberyn Martell.

"Amaryllis, my flower," he says, pecking her head softly through the material of her veil.

Yes, she even wore it to bed.

"Goodmorning father, what brought you in such a good mood," Amaryllis asks, smiling at her father's ritual for almost all of her life.

Every day he would make time free to visit her chambers, peck her head and ask her how she slept. Then he would eat a little breakfast with her, only to have a larger one later with his lady (or man) of interest at that time.

Amaryllis didn't mind the fact that her father changed his relationship sometimes or.. added someone to it.

She knew that her father truly loves Ellaria, his wife and mother to three of my sisters. Just like Ellaria loves him, although she sometimes shared her bed with someone else.

"Why deny yourself the passion, my flower," he always said to her when she asked him why he didn't stay faithful.

Her father takes place of the backless couch with her and dips a piece of bread inside the bowl with oil.

"It is a beautiful morning, my child, of course I am in a good mood. Flower, how was your rest," he asks, popping the bread inside his mouth.

"It was fine, how was yours father?" "Mine? If I have a beautiful lady or lad laying next to me, every rest is perfect," he replies with a chuckle.

Leila walks over to her and curtesies. "My lady, my lord.. Shall I draw a bath for you, my lady?" "No need for formatilities, Leila, you have been in my daughter's service too long for that," father says, waving it off.

Leila blushes and turns her face to her. "Well, Amaryllis?" "Do that, please. Could you also choose my dress and jewelry for today, you always know what looks good on me for which days," Amaryllis replies, smiling under her veil.

Leila was so long in Amaryllis' company that she knew when her lady was smiling beneath her veil and when not, and this was a moment in which she smiled.

"Of course Ama, as you wish," she replies, a little too fast as she suddenly freezes and places her hand before her lips.

"I am sorry, I should not have said that-" "It is fine with me," her father says, shrugging carelessly as he steals a cherry for his daughter's fingers, winking playfully at her.

"Oh-okay," Leila says, blushing once again as she scurries out of the room to fix a bath for her lady.

Once the doors close both father and daughter burst out in laughter. "You shouldn't be so hard on her father, you know she is terrified that uncle Doran sees her acting friendly with me again. You know how he is.."

"I know indeed how my brother reacts, like a man with a stick way too far up his arse. Well, it looks like it's time for me to leave."

He stands up and pecks her hand one time short. "Everything will be fine, darling flower. It always does." "That is because you were always there to protect me, father," she replies.

"You are way stronger than you know, flower. I really need to go now, you know how Ellaria gets when I am late.. again!"

"See you later, father," she replies, waving him off. Her father leaves and the guards stationed before her chambers close the heavy doors again.

With a sigh Amaryllis plucks on the copper coloured tassel of her couch's armrests.

Everything will be fine..