You had been in the market for hours, going to every store you could, looking at every single little trinket you could find, but you had had no luck. There was nothing in all of Sunspear, in all of Dorne, that was worthy of Loreza in any way. She was going to hate you, of course she would, she would be expecting something as beautiful and interesting as she was and she would not be getting it from you at this rate. Gods, if she hated you Oberyn would too, he adored his daughters and Loreza, being the youngest, would definitely alter his opinion of you.
You slumped down onto one of the benches in the gardens, taking a deep shaking breath before one of your guards came to kneel down beside you. Jorge had been head of you guard since you had married Oberyn and you had grown to become friends in your time together. "Are you alright, Princess?" he asked and you gave him a small faltering smile before you spoke.
"I'll be fine, Jorge, I just need a moment to myself, perhaps you could get some water from the kitchens for me," you asked, placing your hand lightly on his where it rested on the handle of his sword. Jorge didn't seem convinced. "I promise to wait in this very spot for you, you shouldn't be much more than 10 minutes anyhow," you added and he gave you a short nod, getting to his feet and heading towards the kitchen's at a slow jog. You let out a deep sigh once he was out of your sight, slumping down on the stone bench and allowing the tears to spring to your eyes as you thought of your failure. The poor child would be so disappointed in you, in your lack of a gift, you had promised her the world and there was nothing that would ever live up to your promises.
You sat in silence for a few moments before you heard slow footsteps coming towards you, causing you to draw your hand across your eyes, wiping away the tears that had spilt and plastering a false smile on your face. You knew it would not be convincing but hopefully your red eyes and cheeks would be ignored by the intruder. You finally looked in the direction of the footsteps that had come to halt beside you, finding Oberyn standing in the shade of the bushes around you.
"Jorge told me I would find you out here, My Dear," he spoke and you gave him the most honest smile you could muster before standing, pressing a light kiss to his lips.
"And what was it you needed, Sweetness," you asked, only to be answered with silence. Oberyn's eyes bore holes into your face as he watched you, causing you to look away in embarrassment. You couldn't tell him what was wrong; he would never understand.
"You've been crying," he broke the silence, his words somehow soft and firm at the same time. You nodded lightly, brushing your hands across your face once more in an attempt to hide the evidence of your sadness. "What is wrong, Y/N?" he finally asked, gently pulling your hands away from your face and pressing his forehead lightly against your own before pulling away, keeping his eyes locked to yours.
"Loreza will hate me," you mumbled, your lip quivering as your eyes filled once more, tears beginning to stream down your cheeks as you attempted to pull your wrist from Oberyn's grip.
"Don't be silly," Oberyn told you, loosening his grip but not quite releasing you. "Why on earth would Loreza hate you?" he added, waiting as you took a few deep breaths to steady yourself. You looked away, watching as a light breeze ran through the leaves on the bushes around you. "Look at me, Y/N," he pushed causing you to bite your lip as you turned back.
"I couldn't find her the right gift; I promised her she would love it and she'll be so disappointed in me, and her birthday's tomorrow," you rushed, shaking your head when you saw Oberyn begin to smile. "I knew you wouldn't understand, I just want to be alone," you told him, finally ripping your arms from his grip, folding them across your chest before moving away and sitting on the bench again.
"Come now, My Love, Loreza will not care if you give her a gift; she loves you," Oberyn spoke, his smile still clear on his face as he spoke. "And you do not owe her a gift," he added causing you to scoff.
"How can you think that? I owe her everything for how excepting she has been, how accepting all of the girls have been," you told him in a huff. "She deserves so much and nothing in the market will ever be good enough," you thought aloud, resting your elbows on your knees, and your face in your hands as you slumped forward.
"Maybe we can have the jeweller make her something special?" he told you, causing you to let out a light gasp as you turned to smile up at him.
"That's a magnificent idea, maybe something made with Citrine, she would love the yellow," you rambled, getting to your feet and giving Oberyn a light kiss on his lips. "You are the smartest man alive, did you know that?" you asked him as you pulled away, laughing as you took off at a quick pace towards your chambers.
Oberyn smirked as he watched you hurry off about your business. He had always adored his girls, and it made him so happy to see how well you got on with them, and how much they cared for you. Though, it seemed it would end up costing him a small fortune for you to keep showing your appreciation.
That evening you met with the jeweller, telling him the exact necklace you wanted for Loreza and watching as he sketched the idea to life on the paper. It was beautiful, a stunning golden Citrine gem surrounded by a twisted Silver setting that wrapped around itself like a viper. You made sure that it would be just long enough that it would rest over her shift for the whole world to see; a beautiful gift for a beautiful girl. You insisted on watching it in its creation too, seeing the metal being sculpted until it was perfect, and seeing it begin to shine as the gemstone was added to its centre. It was perfect, and soon you would be able to give it to its new owner.
You were quick to get into bed that night, burrowing among the covers and pulling them tightly around you, hoping you would soon fall asleep. As your eyes began drifting shut you heard the door opening, and quickly reopened them, revealing Loreza standing in the doorway. The poor girl was shaking, tears in her eyes as she whimpered.
"What is the matter, My Sweet?" you spoke, pulling the covers back to go to her, but not getting far enough when she ran over and dove into your arms, climbing onto the bed with you.
"I had a bad dream," she answered, getting as close to you as she possibly could, pressing her face into your shoulder as you held her.
"Do you want to talk about it?" you asked and she shook her head lightly, her sniffling breaths slowing a little as you cuddled. "You can stay in here tonight if you want," you told her, stroking her hair before planting a small kiss on the top of her head. Soon enough you were both snoring lightly, huddled together on your bed.
Oberyn came to bed soon after, discovering his new wife in the middle on the bed with his youngest daughter wrapped up in her arms, both of them sleeping peacefully. He snickered as he moved around the bed, climbing in and pulling them both closer to him, pressing his head into the crook of Y/N's neck and kissing it softly with a smile.
That was how you woke the next morning, sandwiched between your husband and the birthday girl. You watched her sleep for a moment, allowing your fingers to brush through her hair as you though of how lucky you were, you had the most handsome man in the Seven Kingdoms at your side, and were surrounded by his wonderful family who actually liked and accepted you. You had never been happier in life.
You felt Oberyn wake soon after you, his whole body shifting around yours and pulling you closer to him as he buried his face into the skin of your neck, causing you to chuckle. "Good morning, My Love," he spoke, his voice thick with sleep as he groaned and stretched.
"Morning Handsome," you answered, looking back over your shoulder to kiss him on the lips. "The little princess is still asleep," you added with a chuckle.
"Did you find the perfect gift?" he asked, still pressing kisses against your skin as he spoke and smiling into you as you nodded.
"It's beautiful; she'll love it," you added, before shifting your body, managing to stand in the centre of the bed before smiling down at Oberyn. "I happen to remember being woken up like this on my birthday," you chuckled, bending your knees and making the mattress creak as you began to bounce, making him let out a surprised laugh as he got up to join you. Loreza was quick to wake up when you began chanting that it was her birthday.
"Happy birthday," you yelled, dropping to your knees on the bed beside her and laughing as she launched herself into your arms. "Would you like your gift?" you asked her and she nodded excitedly as you pointed to the small black box sitting on your desk.
"What is it?" she questioned, jumping from the bed to rush over.
"Open it," you answered, patting the bed for her to bring it back before opening it. Her eyes lit up once she had managed to wrench the box open, revealing the necklace on a bed of golden tissue paper.
"I love it," she yelped, throwing herself at you again and leaving you both in a fit of giggles as Oberyn took the necklace from its box and unclasped it, holding it out when she steadied herself enough for him to put it on her. "Thank you," Loreza spoke softly, still staring down at the gem hanging against her chest. "It's perfect," she told you as she finally lifted her head with a giant smile.
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