Howling at the Sun

After another uncomfortable dinner with the joyous King and Queen, the arrogant younger Targaryens, and the intriguing Oberyn, Tabitha was feeling rather exhausted. A headache from the stressful conversation had combined with an uneasy stomach, so she excused herself before the dessert arrived, insisting that she needed to rest her head but would be fine to not speak with a Maester. After rushing out in what she hoped was not a rude manner, Tabitha leaned her back against the cold wall, liking how it chilled her body from the heat of inside the feast room. She closed her eyes for a few moments, taking in calming breaths and praying to the gods to relieve her headache. The door opened and she quickly pushed herself from the wall, not wanting to appear unladylike. Oberyn grinned as he saw her recompose herself and he silently shut the door behind him.

“Are you sure you don’t want to see a Maester? Your skin is rather pink,” he remarked as Tabitha ran her hands down the front of her dress to smooth it, even though it looked fine.

“No, I just needed to leave the room,” she admitted, though she wondered if her cheeks were currently reddened because of him surprising her.

“Do you remember how I said that I knew my poisons well?”

“Yes,” she replied and her blue eyes enlarged. “Are you saying that I have been poisoned?”

“No,” Oberyn answered with a chuckle. “I am saying that I trained as a Maester, and even though I abandoned my studies, I still know that you are unwell. I know the drink that you could take to relieve you from this ailment.”

“Forgive my misgiving, my Prince, but you just said that you know poisons well, and now you are offering me a special drink?” Tabitha remarked with suspicion, raising her eyebrows. The corners of her lips curled upwards slightly to prove that she had half meant the statement as a joke, and her smile broadened as Oberyn laughed and glanced to the side with a hint of bashfulness.

“Fair point, my Lady. But know that I would never do such a thing,” he said genuinely before offering her his arm. “May I?” Feeling too woozy to put up a fight, Tabitha linked her arm around his elbow.

“Sure,” she agreed, then allowed Oberyn to lead her to his sleeping chambers. Along the right wall was a huge shelf made of dark wood that housed many vials of a range of colours, shapes and sizes. Leaving Tabitha by the door, Oberyn walked straight to the middle of the shelf and lifted a pale orange bottle before returning to her.

“This will do the trick. You will be better come the morning,” he said gently as he offered the vial to her. Tabitha hesitated, staring at the liquid and trying to deduce whether or not it would be safe to drink. “You still don’t trust me? Why would I want to kill you?” Embarrassed that he had essentially read her mind, Tabitha blushed and lowered her gaze.

“Because I know that you don’t want to marry Cersei and that could be dangerous information for me to have. Because maybe the royal family doesn’t really want a Stark to be married into their house. Perhaps you don’t like me and don’t want me around anymore,” Tabitha rattled off, turning her honest reasons into a playful stab.

“My Lady, aside from my sister and her two children, you are the only one in King’s Landing I actually like. You are a surprisingly unique and genuinely kind person, and that is hard to come by,” Oberyn smiled, his gentle tone relaxing Tabitha. “Here. I’ll prove it’s safe to drink.” He pulled the cork from the bottle and took a small sip before holding it out for her, Tabitha accepting the vial.

“How much?”

“Two swallows.” Tabitha did so and then handed the almost empty vial back to Oberyn.

“Thank you.”

“It is my pleasure to help such a beautiful and warm-hearted woman,” he replied and Tabitha tilted her head, confused as to why he continued to give her such compliments. “Perhaps tomorrow, when you wake and are feeling better, you could meet me in the gardens?”

“I would like that,” Tabitha nodded without hesitation. They then said their goodbyes and Oberyn gave her directions back to her own quarters, and Tabitha fell into a dreamless sleep.

When she woke to the sound of a crash, sun was pouring into her room and her handmaiden was hurrying to pick up broken glass from the floor.

“I am so sorry, m’Lady! The others insisted that I brought you your lunch! They thought I wasn’t serving you, but I told them that you were in a heavy sleep! They didn’t believe me! I’m so sorry-”

“Kayla, it’s fine,” Tabitha dismissed as she rubbed her eyes. Her tranquil mind soon recalled the events of the previous night and she gasped as she realised that her handmaiden had just said lunch. “What time is it?”

“Just after one.” Tabitha threw the sheets off her and hurried, with Kayla’s help, to dress and prepare herself for the day. She had not intended on sleeping in, and she wondered what Oberyn thought of her not showing in the gardens. Once ready, Tabitha scurried outside and searched the gardens as quickly as she could, but to no avail. Eventually she returned indoors and retraced her steps from last night to Oberyn’s chambers. She knocked briskly on the door and anxiously waited to see if he was inside. After a few moments, the door opened and surprise flashed across Oberyn’s face.

“Prince Oberyn, I am sorry to disturb you, and I am sorry that I did not meet you. Your potion must have kept me asleep throughout the morning,” Tabitha explained in what she wished was a calm tone but was clearly a rushed blabber. Oberyn leaned against the side of the doorframe, ensuring that the door stayed half closed.

“Lady Tabitha, it is fine,” he dismissed with a shake of his head. “The potion heals as you sleep. You are feeling better now, I assume?”

“Yes, thank you,” she smiled. “Would you like to walk in the gardens now? Are you busy?”

“Now is actually not a good time,” he admitted just as a blonde woman appeared behind him, shoving the door open. Her hair was pulled atop her head in intricate braids and her gown was blood red with golden lions stitched onto the bodice.

“You must be Cersei Lannister,” Tabitha guessed as the woman glared at her.

“Yes. Who are you?” she replied bitterly.

“Tabitha Stark.”

“Oh,” Cersei stated uninterestedly. Tabitha felt herself tensing at Cersei’s negative vibe, wondering why Cersei wasn’t being more polite to someone whose house had just fought alongside her own in a war.

“She arrived this morning. We have been getting to know each other before our wedding,” Oberyn offered as an explanation, giving a weak smile to Tabitha.

“I understand,” she mumbled before taking another look at Cersei. The woman was striking. Her blonde hair was darker than that of the Targaryens, but the way the golden waves fell around her shoulders almost seemed like a lion’s mane, and her green eyes appeared far more stunning to Tabitha than her own plain blue ones. Cersei linked her arm onto Oberyn’s and gave him a bored yet expecting look. “If you will excuse me, I will see you both at dinner.” Tabitha left as quickly as she could, heading for the library to lose herself in another book in attempt to rid herself of the twisting and churning that was occurring in her gut.