Burning the Dragons

“You cannot barge in here, soldier!” Doran shouted at the armoured Dornishman who strode towards the table that the Martell council was seated at. It consisted of a few select individuals, as well as Oberyn and Tabitha, reflective of how cautious Doran was when it came to his plans to overthrow Rhaegar.

“My Lords, my Ladies… I was in the group you sent to find Queen Elia on her return to Sunspear. I have news,” the man spoke, the two Martell brothers’ eyes widening as their stomachs sank. Had she been found safe and alive, she would have been walking into the room herself, but she was not.

“Well?” Doran asked as Tabitha slid her hand onto Oberyn’s thigh in a comforting manner.

“The Targaryens found her first. All that was left was a burnt body. One of her guards was barely alive, and he confirmed with his last breath that it was her. We tried to bring her remains back with us, but she was turned into ash and it slipped right through our fingers into the wind,” the soldier explained as softly as he could, though his tone proved how disheartened he was by the news.

“What of her children?” Oberyn finally asked, breaking the deathly silence that had consumed the room.

“We could not find any sign of them. We assumed that Rhaegar had taken them. After all, they are his children too.” Doran’s head fell with sorrow and Oberyn suddenly pushed his chair back, the high-pitched screech of it scraping against the polished floor hurting everyone’s ears. He stormed out of the room, Tabitha following him back to their chamber. Oberyn stopped before his desk of potions, leaning onto it with trembling arms as he ground his teeth together.

“Oberyn…” Tabitha whispered as she cautiously approached him. “What can I do for you?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted, shaking his head as he begged his tears to not fall. “I will hurt Rhaegar for this. I will kill them all!” His voice turned into a shout and he shoved aside bottles of potions, breaking the vials and spilling them onto the floor. Some started to sizzle and bubble as they mixed together, and Tabitha stepped around them with a wary eye.

“My sun, please-”

“He will not go unpunished for this! I have to go- I have to rescue her children! I have to kill him, burn him so he knows what she felt!” Oberyn continued with rage. His cheeks then dampened as the news truly sunk in. “He… he killed my sister…”

“Do not let this consume you,” she said, recognising that he was already slipping into the state she almost did when death had plagued her family.

“What? Can I not be furious? Can I not want to hurt Rhaegar for what he has done?” Oberyn yelled, feeling a pang of guilt when he turned to face her and saw the hurt flash in her eyes. Nonetheless, Tabitha kept a calm expression on her face and took in a deep breath.

“I know exactly what you are feeling right now. I not only felt it for my sister, but my brother and my father. I am not telling you to never get revenge, I am not telling you to let this go, I am saying that you need to take a step back. You need to mourn. Now is not the time to run off and make careless mistakes fuelled by anger. That will achieve nothing. Why run with fury into King’s Landing with your spear and not even reach Rhaegar, when you could plot and sneak in through a back entrance and poison his wine?” Tabitha explained, hoping that her words were being absorbed. Oberyn’s creased forehead relaxed slightly.

“That’s not a bad plan, you know,” he remarked. After a short pause he stepped forwards and embraced his wife, squeezing her as another wave of grief flooded him.

“I promise that I will keep you level headed. It will be rough, but I know that you are strong enough to make it through this.”

“And what if I don’t? What if I sail to King’s Landing and take Rhaegar’s head?” Oberyn wondered, mumbling into her shoulder.

“Then you would leave me husbandless, and your child fatherless. I don’t think you are capable of doing that,” Tabitha answered honestly.