The Little Wolf

Chapter 19 | As stubborn as her owner

"Come back, Winter Rose!" Lilia ran after her direwolf through the gardens. She didn't understand why it was running away from her. She knew the direwolf wanted to play, and since Lilia had been too busy with Myrcella, Winter Rose saw this as an opportunity to catch her owner's attention once again. "Why are you so stubborn? Come here!"

"As stubborn as her owner" a voice caught Lilia's attention. The Red Viper was standing there with a piece of meat, right behind her. "And just as fascinating"

"Thank you... I guess" she said with a smile. He threw the piece of meat next to Lilia and then, he whistled, catching the direwolf's attention. Soon, she was running right back and devouring her meal.

"A direwolf is from the North, not the South. And she can't be locked up in your chambers all day. Direwolves are loyal beasts and wild ones, they don't do well in closed spaces" he stated, making Lilia furrow her forehead. She wasn't aware that Oberyn Martell knew much about direwolves and wild animals in general. "I was studying to become a Meister"

"What? You were?" he nodded with a smirk playing on his lips. "What happened?"

"Got bored" he explained. Lilia giggled at his explanation. She had heard that Oberyn Martell was a free spirit, so it made sense that he gave up. They started to walk as Lilia expected him to tell her more about his time in the Citadel. "I heard you and my squire, Daemon, got along very well"

"Did you?" she responded in panic. What would people say about her taking walks around the gardens with him at night? What if someone had seen him comfort her?

"Don't worry, people in Dorne don't care about what you do concerning those aspects" Oberyn explained. "If not, how do you think Arianne would live her life the way she does now?"

"She wouldn't," Lilia concluded. "Your squire was very kind to me"

"I see" he pointed out with a smirk. "Both of you can't stop smiling today. Coming from him, I wouldn't suspect it. But coming from a girl who would do nothing but keep that terrified, sad, concerned facial expression... I suppose you spent some good quality time with him"

"We danced and talked" she cleared out any perversion Oberyn could create. "He's a good man"

"He is, indeed" Oberyn stated with a knowing facial expression. "He took a liking to you"

"What? That's nonsense!" she reacted straight away, making Oberyn furrow his eyebrows together. He took a minute to analyse the Stark girl's reaction. When she was done studying it, he smirked. "What are you smirking about? He was just being gentle, just like a knight should be"

"You took a liking to him as well, I see" the man pointed out, noticing the girl's cheeks blushing. "I bet that you went to bed thinking about him"

"I did not!" she denied, even though it was true. Lilia would never say so, she could be as stubborn as her direwolf, indeed. Besides, saying so would be so embarrassing that she thought was best to keep it a secret.

"If you say so..." then, she froze where she stood upon the vision of Daemon riding his horse while battling someone else. He won and once he took off his helmet and shook his head, making his sandy blonde hair shake due to the wind. It was a hot wind, yet it made complimented his looks even more. "He's getting better every day"

When the boy looked up, his eyes met Lilia's and his smile widened even more. Lilia smiled back at him, waiting to see what else he could do. Instead, he got off his horse and walked all the way to where she was standing.

"My Prince" he bowed to Oberyn out of respect, to which the man just nodded in acknowledge. Then, he grabbed Lilia's hand a placed a kiss on it, gallantly. "My Lady, I hope you've had a good night sleep"