A Vow Without Honor

The Plans

As it was, Doran was correct. It was not their crime to punish. That would be for another, whose time would come soon enough.

His daughters watched on with confused gazes, eyes occasionally turning to him, waiting for an answer, but Oberyn would give them none. This was his brother's task, and he would only step in when requested.

Doran took a breath, regaining his concentration. "If I asked you to fight for your country, to die for it, would you?"

"Without question," Obara replied. Doran waited until the others nodded their assent.

"And if I asked you to lay down your arms and not take up the fight against the Lannisters, because I am your prince, would you do it?"

It should have been a simple answer. In most places, men would not hesitate to stop waging war, but Dorne had never been so simple a place. Dorne was a wound left untreated, festering, to ask them to do anything that did not sate the beast that lusted for vengeance would harm them more than war ever could. But Doran needed a test of their loyalty. Oberyn had agreed to that much.

The silence that passed between them was unbearably long.

It ended when Tyene took a knee, her mother's calm temperament persevering over everything else.

"I live to serve my prince," she said calmly.

Nymeria and Obara looked down, no doubt disappointed by their younger sister's abandonment of the cause. Then they glanced at one another, speaking in silence.

Soon after, Nymeria joined her sister on the floor, her movements stiff, but words flowing.

"For my prince, I will do what is asked of me."

Obara stood the longest. She never had been fond of kneeling, her knees as solid as the strongest stone, but even mountains gave way over time, and so did she.

"My life belongs to Dorne, and her prince."

Doran looked to him then, one last confirmation between brothers that what they were doing was the right course of action. Oberyn nodded once. He knew his daughters well, and once they had heard the plan, there would be none more loyal.

Still, Doran was silent for some time, before he turned to Arianne. She had remained quiet all the while, clearly sensing there was more to the gathering than initially let on. He always believed her to be the most intelligent of them all, if she'd only control her temperament like her father.

"Do you remember the suitors I presented to you?"

Arianne frowned. "I always wondered if you hated me, bringing such old, lecherous men to my attention. I am worth more than all of them."

"On that, we agree," Doran said with a sad smile. It only served to confuse his eldest. "You always questioned why I chose such poor prospects, when perhaps you should have asked why I allowed you to reject every one of them. Most fathers would not care to hear their daughters' cries. The marriages would have gone forward nonetheless."

"You would not do that to me."

"No, I would not," Doran started, sighing. "Because I had other plans for you."

Oberyn found himself holding his breath.

"You were right, in part, Arianne. Sunspear was not meant to be yours. I raised your brother, Quentyn, to be Lord of Sunspear, but it was not because I did not wish you to rule. I had a bigger role for you to play.

"Queen of the Seven Kingdoms."

Arianne's eyes had gone wide as saucers, and his daughters suddenly looked less tense, their kneeling turned to proper sitting on the floor.