Tournament of Crowns: Gods Among Titans

Two

Upon my arrival to Dorne, I was immediately struck down with awe because of Dorne's beauty. It was much brighter and more vibrant than what I had to lay my eyes on back in the Iron Islands. I considered this as a nice eye-opener because it allowed me to take in new and beautiful surroundings that I never thought of exploring before. Granted, I had thought of exploring foreign kingdoms before, but ever since my father started pushing me through tortuous hell, my mind had completely been focused on surviving and enduring. And even though I was a princess, I felt like a little girl again while observing the luscious sights that I hoped to find out more about.

Despite me trying to ascend off the ship by myself, one of the Dornish shiphands had stopped working and noticed me, a princess. He then dashed up the ramp, took my hand, and became especially careful when leading me down to land.

"There were rumors that a princess was arriving here today," he remarked.

I glanced over to him and crookedly smiled. It was enough for the left corner of my mouth to perk up. "And where have you heard these rumors?"

"I'm not sure, Your Highness, but I'm confident that the crown prince must've let it slip to one of his servants," the Dornish shiphand explained.

I gave a simple nod to him, turning my attention to what was up ahead. Another servant, who I assumed was someone who worked closely to the prince himself, confidently—and oddly quickly—traipsed up to where I was, greeting me as anyone would: in a cordial fashion.

"The rumors were true," the servant said, bowing down to me. "A grand princess has arrived in Dorne. Prince Oberyn will be very pleased with your arrival."

"Has he heard of me?" I asked.

"Oh, he sure has. He might not know your face to your name, but he's certainly heard of the name of the princess from the Iron Islands," the servant remarked, "and I can be almost certain that he will be most pleased when he finally meets you face-to-face."

The servant then showed me the direction where the palace was—and where I could find Prince Oberyn. "Come. Let me take you to the Red Viper himself."

One part of me was finally relieved that I had escaped my father, who probably was unleashing a manhunt to come find me. I wasn't surprised by it, given his brutal nature, but it sure felt good to finally get away from him after years of abuse. The other part of me, however, was completely frightened with the impending meeting with the crown prince of Dorne.

I had heard of the name Oberyn Martell before, and I also heard of what he's done. Not only is he a feared conqueror of Westeros, but he's also a skilled fighter. According to the tales that I was told, he was especially flawless when it came to fighting with a spear. That scares me into not wanting to ever physically fight against him. I know of his ruthless and brutal nature, but it doesn't seem like anything compared to my father's murderous intentions.

The servant and I had finally come up to the front gates, where we were confronted by two guards clad in leather armor and armed with spears. They allowed the servant to pass through the palace's front gates, but they put up their spears to block me from entering.

"It's okay. She's with me," the servant tried to explain.

"Trust me. I got this," I confidently said to the servant. "Thank you, though."

The servant nodded and walked off calmly. "I will then inform Prince Oberyn of your arrival."

The guards turned back to me, not believing the servant's words. I still kept my firm expression on my face and my head held high with enough confidence to power a queen's rule.