Snow // Willas Tyrell // Oberyn Martell

86. Make it stop

'Mama!' Ellaria kissed her daughters forehead as she dismounted from her horse.

'Nymeria. Obara,' She said walking to two of her other daughters

'Will there be war?'

'Prince Doran will weep for your father but nothing else we must avenge Oberyn ourselves,' she told her daughter's. 'I wrote Josie, I'm sure she is already on her way to seek vengeance with us.' Ellaria said confidently.

'Without Oberyn we have no army to march against a Lannister's.'

'We don't need an army army to start a war. Queen Cersei loves her children and we have one of them.' Ellaria reminded them

'We may have a problem.' OBARA said whipping the bucket off the ground ahead appeared squirming his body trapped understand a scorpion crawled over his face

'A ships captain found me in Plankey town,' She said walking towards the man, 'Claiming he had information to sell he told me he smuggled Jaime Lannister into Dorne.'

'He's come for Marcella if he gets her before we do we lose our only chance for revenge. Now my daughters you must choose your uncles way of peace or my way in war.' Ellaria told them

'I am with you always.'

'And I am?' She nodded her eyes moving to Obara.

'OBARA?' Ellaria questioned

'When I was a child Oberyn came to take me to court I've never seen this man and yet he called me himself my father my mother wept and said I was too young and a girl. Oberyn tossed his sword at my feet and said girl or boy we fight our battles but the gods that choose our weapons... my father pointed to the spear and then to my mother's tears.' she took the spear in her hands before throwing it at the man, his head stopped wiggling under the sand. 'I made my choice long ago.'

++

The septa was back. She led Margaery out of the cells the sounds of her chains clinking as she pushed her forward the light stung her eyes for she had been a dark cell for too long as she approached the high sparrow. The septa pushed her to her knees before him

'If I would let you leave right now where would you go?' He asked 'what would you seek out?'

'I would go see my brother my husband to my family.' Margaery answered.

'Of course but for you That means seeking out money finery,' he told her 'power seeking out your family means seeking out sin. Now I'm not blaming you I sought those things out to to the exclusion of all else. My father was a cobbler he died when I was younger and I took over his shop.' The sparrow went on.

'he was a simple man and he made simple shoes but I found that the more work I put into my shoes the more people wanted them. They were fine mother orientation detailing in time. Time most of all. Dozens of hours spent on a single person.' The sparrow told her.

'Quality takes time.' she told him

'Yes I imagine you've worn a year in someone's life on your back. i'd like to cover their feet with my time and they paid well for the privilege and I use their money to buy a taste of their lives for myself. Each time I indulged I felt myself ascending to something better' the sparrow admitted.

'And one day you walk through a graveyard and realized it was all for nothing and set out on a path of righteousness, look at the strangers versus 25.' Margaery told him

'You know the seven pointed star.'

'The scepter reads it to me, at me.' she corrected

'Yes yes she does enjoy reading at people,' he agreed. 'You're close but it wasn't a graveyard.' he told her 'it was a feast I bought old fine Wine and young pretty girls invited my friends to come share at all. We passed around the wine we passed around the women and soon we fell into a stupor. I woke before dawn barely stand everyone else was asleep on the couches around the floor lying and heaps next to devine clothes... the truth of their bodies laid bare. I could smell them beneath the incest in the perfume in the fine Food artistry return that had all the started to turn. I saw it with perfect clarity. I saw what my symptoms were.' He told her honestly.

'I had the wine I drink the women I used my ceaseless struggle to maintain my position. It's all part of the story.' he told her 'the story I was telling myself about who I was. A collection of lies that would disappear in the light people I was trying to climb away from. The beggars in the street the poor they were closer to the truth than I ever was.'

'So what did you do?' Margaery questioned

'I left to go find them. I didn't even put on my shoes. I walked out the door and never went back,' he told her and Margaery thought it through. 'Come let's go and see him.' he said offered her head

'Who?'

'Your brother.'

++

The door slammed and locked closed behind her as she looked down at her brother

'Loras?' He looked like he's barely alive but his eyes opened at the sound of his sister's voice. 'Loras,' she whispered crouching down before him he startled at her touch. He shook in her arms. 'listen to me you need to say stay strong.' she told him

'I can't stay strong.' he told her 'I never was strong'

'You are strong you are the future of our house the future of our family.'

'I don't care about that.' he moaned.

'You don't really believe that.'

'I just wanted to stop.' he told her, tears in his eyes 'help me.' he begged 'please.' he sobbed shaking into her

'They want me to help you, they want me to help you, tear you down that's why he's letting me see you I know it is and if either of us give into what they want then they win.' Margaery told him.

'Who gives a shit if they win, just get it to stop.' he told her 'please.' he begged and she held him close as he cried into her.