Chapter 20 5 страница

While he might've been powerless to act when word had first arrived about the coup in the North, he certainly hadn't been when the next bit of news arrived at Sunspear. Nox and Stark had found out who the true force behind the coup was, and it turned out to be a secret organization within the ranks of the Maesters. An organization that even Oberyn wasn't aware existed, and he'd nearly forged several links during his stay at the Citadel. But that wasn't all that was uncovered. Apparently, this group of Maesters wasn't content with merely trying to control the North, they were trying to control all of Westeros by spreading their agents within the Maester order to various nobles houses and whispering into the ears of the Lords and Ladies they were sent to serve. And there were two such Maesters here in Sunspear.

Once their treachery had been revealed, courtesy of an envoy sent by Archmaester Marwyn who'd taken control of the Citadel, Doran had immediately ordered the arrest of both Maesters in Sunspear and demanded they be questioned extensively. While the letters they received from Archmaester Marwyn confirmed there was no great conspiracy to set the Houses of Dorne against House Martell, the Maesters were still trying to weaken House Martell. Their main plot was to not cure or even aid Doran, but rather make his condition worse through subtle poisons guised as medicine. The fact that the two Maesters had tried to kill his brother slowly did not sit well with Oberyn, and he had insisted on taking over the questioning of the two men.

Neither man had lasted long, barely an hour each into their questioning before they were both spilling everything, they knew from what types of poisons they were using against Doran to his brother's boot size. It was satisfying watching the two men suffer. But at the same time, it was rather, well, boring. No challenge whatsoever to get either to talk. And after only two days Oberyn was ready to send both men to be mounted on the spears lining the walls of Sunspear when the elder of the two let something slip. Something he had kept silent even from the other members of this Order of the Guiding Hand. A letter from his sister. Written in code that he and his sister had developed as children and received at a time that corresponded with the Sacking of King's Landing. His sister's last words.

The Maester had hid the letter from Oberyn and Doran, trying his best to decipher the cryptic language Elia wrote it in. But after being unsuccessful for some time, the Maester had simply put the letter aside and forgot about it. That was until Oberyn pride its location, as well as the Maester's teeth, out of him with a pair of tongs. After learning its location, Oberyn tore the Maester's chamber apart, looking for the last letter sent by Elia. It hadn't taken him long to find and it took him even less time to decipher the short message Elia had sent them. But while he could decipher her writing easily enough, that was only the first step. His sister had not only written in the secret code that the two of them had developed, but she had also made her message as cryptic as possible to the point where even if one could decipher the code, it would read as pure nonsense. Which was why Oberyn was now heading towards for Doran. While Oberyn could easily decipher the writing, he knew that Doran would be the one to truly understand the cryptic language she was using.

Passing by his brother's guards and entering his solar, Oberyn found Doran standing with his hands resting against the railing of the balcony that overlooked the yards of Sunspear. Along with the missive revealing the Maester's duplicity, Marwyn had also sent them a new recommendation for how to handle the symptoms of his brother's gout. Primarily a change in his exercise routine and diet. And while it would take years to undo the damage that had been done to him, Doran was starting to show some recovery.

" Did they have anything useful to say, Oberyn? " Doran asked the moment the door closed behind him, sealing the two in the room.

" Not much, mostly what they have been attempting to do to you. And neither had any inclination of your plans with the exiled Targaryens, " Oberyn stated before pulling out the rolled-up scroll. " However, it appears that our Maester did keep a secret from us. Our sister's last words, sent to us just before the Sack of King's Landing. "

That got his brother's attention as he turned away from the balcony and, albeit with a noticeable limp, retook his usual spot in his wheeled chair. " And what did she say? "

" She wrote it in the code that the two of us developed as children and as an added layer of protection made the message within so cryptic that even I cannot fully understand it. Whatever she had to tell us, she was deathly afraid of it falling into the wrong hands. " Oberyn said as he began reading sections of the message. " First was a true fire before the farce came into being to spin a tale of deceit for time. "

Doran seemed to mull the message around in his head before sighing. " That part of the message is easy enough to figure out, though it is a secret that was known to only a few. Elia's pregnancy with Rhaenys was…difficult as you well know. After she gave birth, Pycelle stated that she would have a difficult time carrying a second child to term. This did not sit well with Aerys, who threatened that if she lost a dragon child that he would see to it that his son had a 'proper' wife through whatever means he deemed necessary. When she became pregnant with Aegon, Rhaegar took her to Dragonstone to try and minimize the stress Aerys placed on her so that she could carry the child in peace. "

" And it worked, " Oberyn nodded. " She gave birth to Aegon on Dragonstone. "

" No, she didn't, " Doran replied, stunning Oberyn. " Aegon, the true Aegon, was stillborn. And the birthing permanently damaged Elia's womb to the point where she became barren. Knowing that Aerys would order Elia's death for her failure to carry the future heir to the Iron Throne, Rhaegar ordered this information kept silent by the Maester of Dragonstone and a child of a common girl with Valyrian features was found and passed off as Aegon until Rhaegar could set his father aside. "

Feeling weak in the knees, Oberyn sat down across from his brother completely stunned. " Why didn't she…Why didn't you tell me? "

" Because you were in Essos at the time, " Doran countered, which was true. " And after her death, it didn't really matter anymore. What else is in the letter? "

Not caring for Doran's answer, Oberyn proceeded to read through the rest of the letter that he didn't understand so that the two of them could work out what she was telling them. Most of it was sentimental, her wishing to see the two of them one last time but knowing that it would more than likely not happen with Rhaegar's defeat at the Trident. However, when they came to the end of the letter, her writing seemed to change.

" This part is…strange, " Oberyn said, sitting upright and reading the passage to himself once more before reading it aloud. " 'Follow the path to the dawn and find the untamed vicious bitch at the end. Save my beloved LyS from the chains that bind by oath and see them to safety. ' What is this 'path to the dawn' she speaks of? And the vicious bitch? And why would she care about one of the free cities? "

Doran however had a very pensive look on his face. " Let me see the letter, " he demanded, all but ripping the letter out of his hands. His elder brother read the last part of the message repeatedly before something seemed to click in his mind as his eyes widened and the letter fell from his hands. " I was wrong, brother…So very wrong. " Doran said, seemingly shaken by whatever epiphany he'd had. " I assumed he was the most dangerous man in all of Westeros…but that is incorrect. "

" What? " Oberyn asked, lost as to where his brother's mind had taken him.

" Your friend, the sorcerer Nox, " Doran clarified. " After meeting him, I labeled him as a remarkable player of the game and perhaps one of the most dangerous men in all of Westeros. But I was wrong. He isn't the most dangerous man in all of Westeros. He's the most dangerous man in all of the known world. "

Leaning forward, Oberyn rested his elbows on his knees. " I could've told you that, brother. Especially after seeing just what he was capable of doing in Valyria with his magic. "

" I'm not talking about him in terms of his fighting prowess or his ability with magic. Those would be cause for concern enough. But no, I'm talking about his head for the game that makes him so dangerous. "

" How did you come to that conclusion from our sister's letter? " Oberyn asked, scratching at his beard. " Surely, he didn't have a hand in the events that happened during the Rebellion? Does he have some connection to the 'path to the dawn' or to Lys? "

" No, I doubt he had any hand in the Rebellion. But he is taking advantage of the secrets that were created from the Rebellion. " Doran said, confusing Oberyn even more than he already was. " As for our sisters' message… The path to the dawn was meant to be taken literally. As in travel to the Dawn, or rather the one who held Dawn. Ser Arthur Dayne. And to further this message, she tells us to find the untamed vicious bitch. Or, if taken in context, she's asking us to find a wild untamed female dog, which could be related to a –"

" Wolf. A she-wolf, " Oberyn finished for his brother, connecting the pieces of the puzzle in his mind. " She wanted us to find Lyanna Stark? Why? And what about Lys? Oh, I see…clever. The 'L' and 'S' were capitalized in her writing. She wasn't referring to the city of Lys, but rather Lyanna Stark. But still, why would she want us to find the woman her husband ran off with? "

" Whoever said that Lyanna Stark ran off with Rhaegar? " Doran asked, making Oberyn frown. " You know as well as I our sister's true preference in bed partners. And a girl like Lyanna Stark? She would've found the She-wolf irresistible. And based on the way our sister claimed that Lyanna was her 'beloved'…perhaps her feelings were reciprocated. And Rhaegar's action would also make a bit of sense when combined with the fact that our sister was secretly barren. If he was looking for a second wife at Harrenhal, our sister would want to make sure that it was one that she could get along with. "

" This…answers a number of questions, but creates even more Doran, " Oberyn stated, to which his brother just nodded.

" That it does. Namely, why did Brandon Stark charge into King's Landing and demand Rhaegar show himself and face justice for the kidnapping of his sister. If our thoughts that Rhaegar had chosen Lyanna as a second wife are true, then why did Stark behave in such a manner? Surely having his sister as the future, even a second, queen was far better than her becoming the future Lady Baratheon. "

Shaking his head, Oberyn got up and poured himself and his brother a glass of chilled wine. " These…theories of yours, brother. They still don't answer why you now hold such fear of Nox. "

" Because of a single question Nox asked me while he was here without any pretext. " Doran answered, taking the glass of wine. " He asked me what the duties of the Kingsguard were. Such an easy to answer question and one that he should've already known. Yet he asked it of me anyway. And ever since, I haven't been able to get the question out of my mind. And now I know why. Tell me Oberyn, what is the duty of the Kingsguard? "

Retaking his seat, Oberyn took a small sip, the cool wine doing wonders for his throat. " To protect the King and the royal family from any harm that may be set upon them. "

" Indeed, " Doran nodded. " Seven members, no matter how large the royal family becomes. The king is always assigned one if not two of the kingsguard at a single time, and the heir to the throne usually always has a kingsguard assigned to him. For the rest of the royal family, however, it is not uncommon for them to remain unguarded. Elia, despite being the future queen, rarely had a kingsgaurd assigned to her. Yet when Rhaegar returned to King's Landing to deal with the rebels he did so without the accompaniment of Lord Commander Hightower, Ser Dayne, or Ser Whent. Those three were left with the Stark girl. Why? Even if she was his second queen, at most she would've been assigned a single guard. And a call to arms would require the kingsguard to follow the Crown Prince into battle no matter the orders given. So why did they stay behind? And why did they not immediately seek out Viserys once Rhaegar and Aerys were killed? "

The question was…disturbing. And for the life of him he couldn't help but wonder why he had never questioned the actions of the three kingsgaurd before. Had they followed Rhaegar to the Trident, it is very possible that they could've turned the tide of the war by helping Rhaegar slay Robert. And Ser Arthur Dayne was known to be Rhaegar's close friend and confidant. So why? Why leave such capable men behind? And why didn't they leave the Stark girl to attend Viserys after Rhaegar and Aerys were killed? The young boy was the heir by—!

" Gods, " Oberyn gasped, the wine falling from his grasp. " They weren't staying to protect or keep Lyanna hostage. They were protecting the next heir to the Iron Throne. A child still in the womb of Lyanna Stark. "

" That is my thought as well, " Doran nodded, finishing off his wine and setting the empty cup down.

" Where is the child then? " Oberyn asked, picking his cup off the floor.

" I'm surprised you haven't realized yet. You do have quite the high opinion of him, after all, " Doran stated with a slight grin on his face, drawing Oberyn up short. " There is only one other person, no, two others who know what happened at the Tower of Joy. And do you really think Stark would harm a child? Especially one born by way of his sister? The same sister he fought a war and overthrew a dynasty in order to reclaim? "

It took Oberyn a moment to catch up, and once he did, he couldn't help himself as he threw his head back and laughed. " Oh gods, " Oberyn laughed. " The one who publicly hates the game more than any other has outmaneuvered the old lion, the queen of thorns, and my brother while he was still barely into manhood. "

" In my defense, Lord Stark's honor provided the perfect shield, " his brother countered. " While the idea of the honorable Lord Stark fathering a bastard was farfetched, the idea that he would hide the true heir of the Iron Throne and the son of his sister from the world by claiming him to be his bastard son is even more unbelievable. "

Finally getting himself under control, Oberyn began pacing the length of the room. " And you think that Nox knows and has plans to put the boy on the Iron Throne? "

" Yes to Nox knowing the boy's true identity. However, I will not begin to say that I understand the mind of the sorcerer or his long term goals, " Doran said, as he turned his wheeled chair around so he could face out over the Sunspear. " Brother, I do believe that it is time for your wanderlust to strike you once more. "

" I see, " Oberyn nodded, already knowing that game that his brother was playing at. " And where will my wanderlust be taking me this time? "

" Winterfell, " Doran answered without hesitation. " You are good friends with the sorcerer, are you not? I do believe that it is considered polite to visit and wish your friends well after a traumatic event. And I do believe that perhaps your paramour and your daughters might like to expand their horizons as well. "

Smirking, Oberyn leaned back in his seat and rested his hands behind his head. " I do believe that my daughters will relish the chance to see the world, even if it is the frozen lands of the North. And with Lady Dacey and Jon serving as an example of northern men and women, then I doubt that it will take much to convince Ellaria to come. "

" Good, " Doran nodded. " You will head out on the first trade vessel heading North. And…there is one more thing. Arianne will go with you as well. "

" Arianne? " Oberyn repeated, staring hard at his brother.

" Yes, " Doran nodded. " She has taken an extreme interest in learning how to be a proper ruler, just as I had planned. And while she is in the North, she will be representing Dornish interests regarding an expansion of our trade relations with the North. And…should her affections for the boy reach a certain point, you will encourage her to pursue them. "

'So that's his angle. ' " You're thinking of trying to use the boy in place of the Beggar King. Do you think that is what Nox intends as well? "

His brother remained silent for a short while as he stared out over the landscape. " The Targaryen's may yet still serve a purpose in our plans. But who do you believe will be better to rally the lords of the realm to his banner? The Beggar King and son of the Mad King who's spent his entire life in Essos? Or the son of Rhaegar who has been raised like a son by the honorable Lord Eddard Stark? Just his presence alone would be enough to bring the North under his banner. And with them will come the Riverlands and potentially even the Vale. "

" But there is still the issue of Lord Stark actually declaring for Jon over Robert or the whore King's spawn. " Oberyn countered, making his brother turn around and face him.

" This is where we must have patience. First, we must begin to erode the bridge between the Starks and the Baratheons. Though given what my eyes in King's Landing have seen, the bitch lion queen has already started doing our work for us. But you will leave that to me. For now—"

" Head North and learn what I can of the boy and of Nox's intentions towards him, " Oberyn finished for his brother. " And should your daughter find an urge to bed the boy, I'm to do all I can to encourage said urges. Shouldn't be too hard. Those two could hardly go a moment without being in one another's company during their brief stay here in Sunspear. "

" Just don't be too obvious, brother, " Doran chided him as Oberyn began heading for the door. " Things with the North need to be handled delicately for now until we can figure out Nox's true intentions. "

" Why, brother, you wound me, " Oberyn smirked. " I can be the picture of delicacy when I wish to be. But it's often too boring for my tastes. "

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