She was imprisoned in her room that was the only solace Arianna took from that. Though why would her father go to such great pains to provide for her comfort in captivity if he had already marked her for a crime? He cannot mean to kill me, she told herself a hundred times. He does not have it in him to be so cruel. I am his blood and seed, his heir, his only daughter. If need be, she would throw herself beneath the wheels of his chair, admit her fault, and beg him for his pardon. And she would weep. When he saw tears rolling down her face, he would forgive her.
"Areo," she had pleaded with her father's captain of guards, "Why am I here, I didn't do anything. You must believe me."
"It is not what you did, princess." His countenance was stony. "It is for my prince to command, for Hotah to obey. He has asked me to keep you placed here for uncertain future."
"Have my friends be confined as well?" Arianne had been parted from Garin, Drey, and the others for a long time now and she missed them dearly.
"That is for the prince to decide," was all the captain had to say upon the subject.
Garin had been with her since birth; he was Arianne's milk brother, and they had been inseparable since before they learned to walk.
It was three days of silence that Arianne heard of no word from his father then came a day when a rough hand woke her, shaking her by the shoulder. "Little princess," said a voice she'd known from childhood. "Up and dress. The prince has called for you." Areo said.
In the shade of the orange trees, the prince sat in his chair with his gouty legs propped up before him, and heavy bags beneath his eyes... though whether it was grief or gout that kept him sleepless, Arianne could not say. Her uncle Oberyn and his daughters Obara and Nymeria were there too. Below, in the fountains and the pools, the children were still at their play.
"It was not so long ago that you lot were the children in those pools." the prince said, when she takes place before his rolling chair.
"Where are my friends father." Arianne started, "Do you hate me so much that now you got rid off my companions and kept me imprisoned so to remove me as your heir. Is it Quentyn you favor the most, is it him whom you want to make the Prince of Drone."
Her father's face darkened. "This mistrust against your father does you no honor Arianne. Quentyn should be the one conspiring against me for I sent him away when he was just a child, too young to understand the needs of Dorne. Anders Yronwood has been more a father to him than I have, yet your brother remains loyal and duty bound to Dorne."
"Why not? You favor him and always have. He looks like you, he thinks like you, and you mean to give him Dorne, don't trouble to deny it. You have always hated me." Arianne replied with fury lightning her eyes.
"I never hated you." Prince Doran's voice was parchment-thin, and his face studying her face for a long moment. "But tell me my dear daughter, you planned a seduction of Gerold Dayne to overthrow me. Tell me why you thought of that."
"For the honor of our House." Her father's voice made her angry. He sounded so sad, so exhausted, so weak. You are a prince! she wanted to shout. You should be raging! "Your meekness shamed all Dorne, Father. What happened to Aunt Elia and her children in King's Landing while you ruled Drone in peace, in ignorance, while they ruined them!"
"Do you think I did not know that? Elia is with me every time I close my eyes."
"Who always ask you to open them, no doubt. What use is now to talk of Ser Gerold and my previous fascination with him, we already have Mountain's head and soon get Tywin's too?" Arianne asked in confusion.
He shook his head. "Would that we had. You were a fool to make him part of this. Darkstar is the most dangerous man in Dorne. You joining hands with him have done us all great harm."
Arianne afraid to ask, questions softly. "Gerold has he sided with lions?"
"Darkstar is a man of ambition my daughter, he then wanted your hand and with that he would have gotten Dorne in all but name but you played him and now he is not a foolish man, he knew the hate Dorne carries for the Lions and their end nearing by King Aemon's hand. No he has sided with Danerys and now many segment of Golden Company has already walked into Dorne all for him to make the new Prince." Prince Doran said, sighing at his daughter's foolishness.
"I never meant it to happen," Arianne insisted but before she could continue Doran cuts her off, "It was not for you to decide the fate of Lannisters. It's the House lord who decide it's fate and now you spurning his future has pushed us into a civil war and the first to take damage in this would be Starfall."
"He marches to weild the Dawn and lay claim to Starfall." Arianne realized in horror.
"That he does and he would not be so soft in leaving his kin young Edric Dayne alive to emerge as a threat. Your friends head were send by him as gift of betrothal." The Prince said, his voice soft pointing to sack layed by his side. "I imprisoned you to protect you from Darkstar's knives now roaming across Dorne."
Arianne found her tears on the face no sooner she heard the words, but no amount of scrubbing of her eyes could stop the water escaping her eyes, and suddenly she was weeping, her whole body wracked by sobs, for they were her brothers in all but name.
Dinner at Storm's End was a sodden affair, Davos noticed eyeing all present. It was his King Stannis with his wife and daughter, the red woman with mysteries of her own and patchface the simpleton of Baratheon household.
King Stannis shifted in his seat frowning, it has been constant for days now, "Have we recieved any reply to the ravens sent."
"We have not, your grace." Davos said and continues after a moment of silence, " Should we march to houses silent since the call of their king."
Stannis snorted at that, "And leave Storm's End unprotected to Lannisters and Tyrells."
"And to Renly?" The words were out before Davos could stop to consider them.
For a long time the king did not speak. Then, very softly, he started, "I feel anger everyday growing on me for him, Davos. He was my brother Davos, a brother whom I protected and kept fed when Robert was marching for his revenge, for his bethroed lost forgetting that his kin are living on rats and horses."
Davos felt sorry for his King and yet he could do nothing but nod and said "I see."
"To see him marching with lords who kept us trapped in our home, I feel hatred that I never had, to see lords supporting a younger heir while older lives, it boils my blood. Robert could piss in a cup and men would call it wine, but I offer them pure cold water and they squint in suspicion and mutter to each other about how queer it tastes." Stannis said grinding his teeth.
"Men rally where they find profit and titles, your grace. They march for a man where they know their importance will outlive their mistakes." Davos pointed out deciding not to play coy now.
"A good act does not wash out the bad, nor a bad act the good. Each should have its own reward. You were a hero and a smuggler" Stannis said.
Unthinking, Davos raised his maimed hand to the pouch at his throat, and felt the fingerbones within.
Stannis saw the motion. "Are they still there, Onion Knight? You have not lost them?"
"No." Davos said with no hesitation.
"Why do you keep them? I have often wondered." Stannis asked with curosity.
"They remind me of what I was, where I came from. They remind me of your justice, my liege." Davos said remembering his vile acts before his present.
Before any of them could continue with their affair. The fool, Patchface stands up from his seat and jumps from his one feet to another, his bell of helm ringing in his antlers as he sings with high note, "The shadows beyond the wall dance, my lord, dance my lord, dance my lord. The shadows want to slay my king, slay my king, slay my king."
No sooner had the words spoken did the red woman who always remained on silent matters beyond saying the word of her King Aemon got up from her seat and pushed the fool to the corner, her nails digging through the simpleton's shoulder, " Say them again, what you said. Sing them again for me."
Undettered the fool sings a new song, "In the hall of the burnt castle the dead dance at King's tune. I know, I know, oh oh oh."
The silence in the dining hall was deafening for never had they heard song so dark though the silence was broken by soft sobbing of the princess. Stannis was already at his feet by them rushing to his daughter, Davos not to behind but it was all for naught for princess fainted no few moments later that Stannis reached her.
Her last words echoing in the hall for all to hear, before fainting, "Knives in dark, twice betrayed."