𝔸𝕔𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕡𝕒𝕟𝕚𝕖𝕕 by cheers, the Mountain entered the ring. The metal plates of his armor clinked against one another with each thudding step. He looked like the Warrior himself come down to pass the sentence, to doom Tyrion to certain death. I wasn't opposed. The only favorable thing about the half-man to me had been his vow of discretion about Cersei and me, and a dead man was as silent as they came. Thus, his bad deeds far overshadowed the good. Beneath the yellow-roofed pavilion on the far side of the arena, Oberyn Martell and his paramour Ellaria were speaking in hushed voices. The woman seemed doubtful at the sight of her lover's opponent, to say the least - after all, Gregor Clegane stood some eight feet tall and was built like a bull, heavily armored and armed on top of that, whereas lean, short Oberyn was wearing only a cloth and leather tunic and had no particularly durable weapons in sight. Fanfares sounded, and the crowd quieted. Pycelle began the trial with a speech. "In the sight of gods and men, we gather to ascertain the guilt or innocence of this, uh, man, Tyrion Lannister. May the Mother grant him mercy..." Ellaria was huddled close to Oberyn now, while Cersei was glaring with a sadistic smile at her little brother, who stood near them. "...May the Father give them such justice as they deserve, may the Warrior guide the hand of the champion-" At an impatient wave of Tywin's hand, the fanfares sounded once more, interrupting the old man. He bowed and scuttled away as the people grew louder again. Oberyn engulfed Ellaria in a passionate kiss while the Mountain opposite them drew his longsword. It must have been massive to look long even in his hand. After being tossed a spear, the Viper of Dorne made a show of spinning it across his head as he danced into the ring. Met with applause, he turned first to the royal families gathered at the head of the arena, to harvest their appreciation, then, finding none except from Mace Tyrell who clapped his hands carefully, to the Mountain. "Have they told you who I am?", he asked, clearly hoping to set his opponent up for some punchline. But the Mountain was either incapable of picking up on it or simply didn't care. "Some dead man", he growled and leapt forward, his sword gliding harmlessly off Oberyn's spear as he deflected. They exchanged a few blows before Oberyn retreated, circling his foe while he spoke, despite being left unprompted. "I am the brother of Elia Martell, and do you know why I've come all this way to this stinking shitpile of a city? For you." This time, he seized the first strike, but Gregor was undeterred even by the blow to his helmet that the Viper managed with his second swing. Still, the latter spoke on. "I'm going to hear you confess before you die. You raped my sister, you murdered her, you killed her children. Say it now and we could make this quick." In that moment, I knew how this would likely end. Vengeance was a force that could drive a man to incredible feats, but it was also a passion sorely misplaced on the field of battle. It was a distraction, a motivation that could blank out the cold calculation needed in order to survive and triumph. Clegane roared and charged at him, sword extended, but Oberyn blocked him with ease. He was a good fighter, that much was apparent. With a well-placed jab, he actually managed to remove the Mountain's helmet. Cersei's face grew discontent. She had believed her champion to be utterly invulnerable, and her brother's fighter scoring any sort of success made her uneasy. "Say it", Oberyn demanded, and his opponent let out another beastly roar. "You raped her! You murdered her!", the former shouted between blows until he was able to force Clegane's sword to the ground. "You killed her children." The Mountain pushed upward, but Martell was a step ahead of him, bouncing away to put on a display of agility, twirling through the air like an acrobat. He was smiling as the larger man kept slashing at him, always too slow to forestall him. "You raped her. You murdered her. You killed her children." He jabbed at the Mountain's armor, but obviously could not puncture the thick metal with his measly spear. Clegane seized the chance and kicked him square in the chest, sending him flying into the pavilion that was twin to his own, but marked orange.
From there on, it went downhill for Oberyn. He could no longer counter the Mountain's blows, and his spear was cut cleanly in half. He recovered quickly, retrieving a fresh spear, but the majority of his stamina was spent and Clegane managed to throw him to the ground again. Shielding himself against the killing blow just barely, he stuck his spear into Gregor's gut in an attempt to get out of his compromising position, however, it hardly seemed to faze the hulking shape of a man. Growing more agitated now, Oberyn circled again. "You raped her! You murdered her!", he screamed before slashing the Mountain's calf. Groaning, the big man went down. Shocked at this sudden turn of events, I glanced over to the most significant members of the audience to gauge a certain someone's reaction. Cersei's face showed suppressed serious alarm now and she hid her mouth behind her sleeve subtly. It was really not looking too good for her prized champion. I, too, had been so confident Tyrion's fate was sealed when I heard whom she had chosen, but now... "You killed her children!" Oberyn leapt at the crawling man with a mighty shout and brought his spear down right into his stomach. Blood splattered from the Mountain's mouth. Tyrion smiled to his family as all but Jaime scowled at the scene in front of them in disbelief. But the fight was not over yet. Leaving the spear to stick out of Clegane's chest, Oberyn walked around the defeated man, examining him. "Wait, are you dying? No, no, no, you can't die yet, you haven't confessed." He pulled out the spear with a sickening squelch. "Say it. Say her name." The Mountain did not look like he was going to be able to say much of anything any time soon, but Oberyn continued. "Elia Martell. You raped her, you murdered her, you killed her children." Jaime looked on with incredulous amusement while Cersei stared daggers at her brother's champion's taunts, and Ellaria watched uncertainly what her lover would do next. "Elia Martell!" Oberyn pointed at Tywin now, already answering the question he hadn't yet asked. "Who gave you the order? Who gave you the order?" His voice had risen to a shout again as he looked at Tywin, who remained stone-faced, then went back to prowling around the Mountain's body. "You raped her! You murdered her! You killed her children!" He stepped closer. "Say it. Say her name. Say it!" And that was his fatal mistake. With one hand, Gregor swept him off his feet and lifted him into the air by his neck, punching his face with the other. Spitting blood and teeth, Oberyn dropped back down onto the ground, and Clegane straddled him. Pressing his thumbs into his eyes, he growled, "Elia Martell. I killed her children. Then I raped her. Then I smashed her head in like this." He squeezed harder, and Oberyn Martell's head burst like an overripe melon in the sun, spilling blood and brains everywhere. Ellaria let out a deafening cry as the two men lay collapsed beside each other. I nearly threw up myself looking at the gory mess, so I turned my eyes to a sight I liked far better, one I was glad wasn't the one lying dead in the sand there. Cersei was smiling to herself, and Tywin stood. "The gods have made their will known. Tyrion Lannister, in the name of King Tommen of the House Baratheon, first of his name, you are hereby sentenced to death."

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𝔹𝕦𝕥 𝕔𝕦𝕓𝕤 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕥𝕖𝕖𝕥𝕙 𝕥𝕠𝕠 ; (ℂ𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕖𝕚 𝕩 𝕆ℂ🐺🦁)
Fanfiction𝕍𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕖𝕣𝕪 𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕜 is the 18-year-old daughter of Lord Eddard Stark. As his eldest child, she is expected to go to King's Landing with him when Robert names him Hand of the King, to learn about the arts of warfare and what her place in the la...