Howling at the Sun

Tabitha entered the grand throne room and was taken aback by the transformation. A ball was being held in honour of the two princes’ weddings, with many high lords and ladies from across Westeros attending, and the decorations were proving that Rhaegar wanted to make a good impression as well as flaunt his wealth. Tabitha’s nervousness increased as she felt many pairs of eyes settling on her and judging her, so she shuffled over to the closest table and grabbed a glass of wine. She turned her back to the crowd and gulped half of the drink down, rather than slowly sipping at it like a proper lady, and then downed the rest after a few seconds. Oberyn had been right about wine, and Tabitha had a feeling that she would need a lot of it to get herself through the evening. Taking a new glass, she turned and plastered a smile on her face, prepared to speak with the noble men and women about her anticipation for her wedding and to speak lowly of her brother supporting Robert Baratheon’s rebellion.

Frequently she would spot Viserys heading in her direction, and then she would always find a way to excuse herself so she could hurry away to the other side of the room and find others who wished to talk with her. Eventually he caught up to her and insisted that she took up his offer for a dance, and they shifted to the middle of the throne room. Viserys’ grip on Tabitha was far too tight for her liking, and he moved her swiftly across the dance floor, as if his urgency was a show of his dominance over her. Tabitha couldn’t help but let her mind wander, and she started to focus on the people in the room watching her and tried to guess which house they were from or sworn to. As the music wound down, Tabitha spotted Oberyn up on the second level, hastily drinking wine as he seemingly glared at her. Viserys bowed at the end of the dance and Tabitha gave a quick curtsey.

“If you’ll excuse me, I need some fresh air,” she commented and Viserys nodded dismissively. Tabitha turned and headed for the stairs, only to see Oberyn gesture with his head to the passageway behind him. He slowly turned and disappeared down it, and Tabitha hurried as quickly as she could after him. Every time she rounded a corner, she would see the last of Oberyn’s maroon tunic flicker behind a wall, but eventually she found him waiting on a secluded balcony. He leant with his lower back against the top of the balcony’s stone rail, one hand also resting on it and the other holding an almost empty wine glass, and a slightly angered expression across his face.

“Is everything all right?” Tabitha blurted, planning to start with a ‘hello’ until she saw his creased eyebrows and frown. She walked onto the balcony, intending to stand next to him, but Oberyn held his arm out, halting her. He then took her hand and gently pulled her to stand in front of him. Tabitha’s eyes briefly flicked over him, taking in how beautifully the maroon complemented his skin and how proudly the Martell sigil had been stitched over his heart. She was wearing a pale green dress, similar to the green from the Stark banner, but she doubted that it looked as nice on her as his clothing did on him.

“My Lady Tabitha… I must ask you something,” Oberyn said softly as he watched his fingers running across the top of her hand.

“Yes?” she whispered, almost stunned into silence by the intimate way he was touching her.

“Do you want to marry Viserys?”

“No,” Tabitha answered without much of a pause. Her only hesitation was because she recognised that she shouldn’t be saying such things aloud, but then she recalled how Oberyn had confessed how he did not want to marry Cersei and felt as though she could trust him.

“Do you want to marry me instead?” Oberyn said and he met her eyes to see surprise fill them.

“Do you mean that?” she questioned, her stomach tossing rapidly as her brain tried to process what was happening.

“Of course. I don’t want a vicious lion, I want a kind-hearted wolf. And I know that a feisty dragon will burn and destroy the wolf’s beauty,” Oberyn explained rather poetically, melting Tabitha’s nerves away and putting a smile on her face. “I know that direwolves love the moon, but perhaps you could love the sun instead?” Tabitha rotated her hand and entwined her fingers between his.

“I think I could do that,” she said with a nod, a little bit shocked when Oberyn broke a hand from their embrace. It rose to the back of her head and pulled her towards him, allowing him to finally kiss her plump lips. Tabitha’s heart fluttered after she pulled back, hardly believing it when she opened her eyes and saw Oberyn and his grin.

“Then tomorrow I will speak with Elia. I will ask her to change Rhaegar’s plans,” he told her, caressing her hands again. Tabitha smiled to herself, delightfully shocked by the past few minutes of her life and the prospect of her future changing for the better.