A Dragon Kissed by Sun Chapter 24 (A Whisper) (Patreon)

Oberyn Martell

It had been a long time since he had seen this place, the last time he had been here was eleven years ago; Rhaegar Targaryen married Elia Martell in a wedding that was remembered to this day; House Martell had been there to celebrate, Oberyn remembered that day better than he wanted, he remembered her smiling to everyone, the way her eyes would look at the prince, the Viper had seen that look before, for the very first time, Elia loved someone as much as Oberyn if not more.

The Viper of Dorne had been happy for his sister; the prince seemed like a good enough man, someone who would love Elia more than anyone else; closing his eyes, Oberyn felt his eyes welling up; the song he had sung for her was still too fresh in his mind, like a wound that just wouldn't close, instead spread its infection everywhere.

Back then, when he had heard that song, one singular thought crossed his mind. This is True Love, he had thought; Oberyn didn't think of himself as someone to fall in love and settle in with a woman, he wasn't that good of a man, he knew that much, he liked to experience things, things that people usually don't; hearing that song back then had relived his heart, his sister married someone who loved her.

That was until The Tourney of Harrenhal when everything changed for the worse; things had started getting worse little by little throughout the years, her sickness worsening her health, the mad king going deeper into the abyss of madness, the birth of Rhaenys Targaryen being way harder than usual, but Harrenhal was when things took a nosedive into a fucking erupting Volcano.

"Father, you alright?" Obara's voice made him escape his sad thoughts; the prince coughed before turning to look at his daughter, who was looking at him with concern.

"Nothing, just memories," he replied with a tone, indicating that he wouldn't say anything else other than that.

After the stupid Greyjoy Rebellion ended, Theon was to be a hostage in Winterfell to make sure his petty father obeyed like a good dog; the prince was glad to hear they had barely lost any soldier in the rebellion; that was mostly to their lack of fighting in the rebellion, the one who fought the most were The North, Stormlands, and Lannisters.

After the rebellion, Robert had publicly announced that a tourney would be held for defeating the Greyjoy. Usually, Oberyn would want nothing more than to piss on his Tourney and go back to Dorne, but duty called; a Whisper needed to stop Whispering.

The closer they got to King's Landing, the more anxious Oberyn got, not because he was afraid but because he knew Elia had died in this castle. He just hoped he could leave this place as soon as possible. Everyone had been surprised to hear Prince Oberyn would attend the Tourney, especially knowing his hatred towards House Lannister.

Tywin barely reacted to that information, but Oberyn could tell that the old lion was on edge the whole time; the same couldn't be said for Jaime Lannister, who didn't show any cockyness or disrespect he had expected to show, especially for someone like him.

Lord Stark had left to return to the North as soon as the Rebellion ended, saying he needed to attend to some personal duties; with him went all his banners; Oberyn had been glad to not have the Stark around for this part of the job, especially with his Honor.

Once they reached the City, their noses were assaulted by the terrible smell of shit and piss; riding through the city felt like riding through a public bathroom; people were starving; a few glances were enough to see the clear ribs in their chests, some kids with arms almost as thin as a stick, one time he saw several dogs and crows feasting on what he assumed was human.

Reaching the castle, the smell lessened, something both Oberyn and Obara appreciated. Since they had arrived a bit late, they were to be greeted by someone from the Red Keep, Oberyn didn't know who would be, but knowing Tywin, he would want to humiliate him. Tyrion Lannister, of all people, greeted them.

"Quite a city you got here; I can smell the shit from miles away," Oberyn spoke with a snarky tone, a devil smirk on his face; the dwarf made no visible reaction to his tone except a little shrug.

"They say you get used to it, but you never really do," Tyrion commented with a neutral tone before giving the viper prince a look from the corner of his eyes.

"I didn't know you were in King's Landing; I thought you would be at Castely Rock," Oberyn commented, but more like a question, it was known throughout the whole Westeros that Tywin despised his youngest son, barely ever letting him leave The Rock, not wanting people to see him, and bring shame to his house.

"Is a Tourney for the glory victory towards the Greyjoy, everyone is invited... even me," Tyrion added with a little smile at the end.

"Didn't expect to see you here, prince Oberyn! Are you here for the Tourney, perhaps winning a good price, but it would be quite hard to climb a mountain," he added, his pony riding the same level with Oberyn and Obara.

His oldest daughter grimaced at his words, but Oberyn left out a humorless chuckle. "I'm not here to climb mountains; while I hear that is a good activity, I'm here for the peace of my soul," his tone betraying nothing; Tyrion couldn't tell from his tone if he was truthful or not.

I should be careful with him, everyone knows a viper waits for the right moment until they strike, and Prince Oberyn is not known as The Red Viper for naught, Tyrion thought warily yesterday after arriving at the Red Keep, he met his brother, who seemed to be a little... happy, while he was pleased for him, especially the way he smiled, Tyrion wondered what could have caused it. Surprisingly, his father visited his room the same day, saying that he was to greet House Martell tomorrow and if he could learn what they wanted. Tyrion had accepted the job almost too quickly; it was a chance to prove to his father that he was no different from Jaime.

Escaping his thoughts, he decided to poke the viper a little; maybe it was idiotic, but he was curious nonetheless. "Peace of soul! Don't know about that, but I heard that The King had hired several actors to play the day he saved King's Landing from the dragons," the dwarf spoke; from the corner of his eyes, he expected them to get angry, to show signs of fury but much to his disappointment, Oberyn started laughing, a burst of full-blown laughter as if someone just told him the best joke in Westeros.

"Saved the city, you say; well, I'm pretty sure people will appreciate being reminded how little they matter," he said, still laughing; Tyrion frowned slightly; his father had ordered him to use his brain to find out anything about House Martell, what they were planning.

Still, the Tourney will last for a whole month, after all, he thought, as they rode in silence for the rest of the road to the Red Keep.

Arriving at his bedchamber, Oberyn breathed the air inside his chamber, calming down his nerves, something he found to be harder the longer he stayed in this cursed place with these people. Walking over to the window, giving him a view of the vast city of King's Landing, hill Rhaenys, and hill Visenya.

Oberyn's mind went to his wife and children waiting for him back home. Soon Elia, wait a bit longer. I will personally take revenge, you will be able to rest peacefully knowing the ones who killed you, and your children are rooting in Hell, he thought with resolve.

Later he decided to spar with Obara, his daughter who needed to get better; while training her, the prince of Dorne noticed that House Tyrell had arrived, most likely to try and have a betrothal between Lady Margaery and Prince Joffrey.

Fools, he thought; he had nothing against the flowers, despite their lack of contributing to the rebellion. Still, the words had reached even Dorne about the prince's behavior, tales of guards capturing several cats, later he would use knives to kill them slowly, Oberyn knew The Tyrells knew of this, but they either thought the rumors were exaggerated or they didn't care about Margaery.

"Stupid Flowers," Obara spat with venom; several Tyrell guards were sparring in the Training Yard with swords.

Oberyn quickly turned to his daughter, putting a hand on her shoulder and making her look him in the eye. "Hey, remember what I told you, as long as you keep your cool, you will always be a step forward," he spoke softly to her; his daughter looked at him before nodding in understanding, and he smiled before kissing her forehead.

"Good, now let's keep training; your brother won't be happy to hear you have been slacking," he japed, earning an eye roll from his daughter.

Jaime Lannister

Swing after swing, Jaime blocked another strike from Preston; how a man like became a King's Guard was beyond him; from his cocky smile and the way he enjoyed beating people in the city, nothing speaks of him as a knight, only a fool.

Blocking another strike, Jaime was really getting annoyed by his smirk not leaving his face, not mentioning he was one of the worst knights he had ever fought with; just who do you think you are, Jaime thought in anger before using his blunt blade to strike his sword hand hard, he heard a loud snap, probably his broken finger before punching him square in the face sending him crashing against the ground like a sack of potatoes.

Jaime paid him no mind as he screamed and moaned in pain, holding his broken finger with his other hand; the Lannister knight wanted to spit on someone like him, knowing that a knight like him had the same title as Ser Arthur Dayne made his blood boil, but he quickly reminded himself that people were watching their little dispute, he knew Ser Barristan would probably say something, how he shouldn't act like this but he really didn't care anymore.

Knowing he put someone like him in his place made him feel much better. With that comforting thought on his head, he walked away from the training yard.

Reaching his room, Jaime removed his gloves and armor, running a hand through his hair; he felt his steps heavy; the tourney was coming soon; he thought perhaps the tourney could distract him; perhaps this is what could help him to cope with his failures.

Hearing a knock on the door, he told whoever was on the other side to walk inside, not turning to see who was at the door, but his easy footsteps were a straight giveaway.

"I heard what you did to Ser Preston!" His commander spoke with a neutral tone, not showing that he was either angry or happy.

"Someone like him deserves far worse, commander; if you are here to tell me that I deserve punishment, then I don't care," Jaime spoke with a hint of anger in his voice, still not facing the commander.

"I'm not here for that, but to give you this," He said, leaving a note on the table of his bedchamber; Jaime turned to look just as the door closed. He narrowed his eyes as he walked over to the table; what could his commander want, and why not just straight out say it instead of leaving a note, picking up the letter, he almost gasped...

The Sword of Stars still swings tonight at The Weirwood Tree

Jaime read and reread the letter perhaps over ten times, yet he couldn't believe what he was reading. He quickly burned the letter, his mind in turmoil; Arthur is still alive! How??! This is impossible? H-Where is he? He asked himself questions that he had no answers to; if it were anyone else, he would thought they were joking, a very joke, but he knew Commander Barristan would never joke about something as serious as this.

Weirwood Tree! I will be there, Jaime thought with resolve; suddenly, the day wasn't as boring as before, but he couldn't help but want it to end as soon as possible.

Varys

As he walked through the corridors of Red Keep, his mind would often go back to his sister, who never smiled, who died giving birth to the Future of their house, someone who would become a King one day. Daemon Blackfyre, their little Daemon, was growing up strong and smart; Illyrio was making sure he had the best education and became 'The Perfect King.'

Their first Blackfyre, Daemon Blackfyre, legitimized son of Aegon IV. The Unworthy started the First Blackfyre Rebellion.

Daemon Blackfyre was actually married to Rohanne of Tyrosh, a marriage arranged by Aegon IV and the Archon of Tyrosh. Daemon's great love was his half-sister, Aegon IV's trueborn daughter Daenerys. Her brother King Daeron II, however, made her enter into a marriage alliance to bring Dorne under the authority of the Iron Throne for the first time. Many think this sparked great resentment in Daemon against his half-brother for breaking up his great love.

Daemon Blackfyre had seven sons and multiple daughters. His two eldest sons, Aegon and Aemon, died alongside him at the Battle of the Redgrass Field. The leadership of "House Blackfyre" as a political faction afterward largely came under Daemon's half-brother and a great champion, Aegor "Bittersteel" Rivers. They fled east across the Narrow Sea with Daemon's remaining children.

Daemon's third son, Daemon II, was an ineffective dreamer, more skilled at music and court culture than politics or warfare. For all these reasons, Bittersteel did not support him with his remaining forces. The "Second Blackfyre Rebellion" that Daemon II attempted to start was really more of a failed plot and ultimately a fiasco, ending with his capture. Bittersteel later crowned Daemon's fourth son Haegon as king in exile.

Haegon led the Third Blackfyre Rebellion, during which he was killed. Bittersteel fought by his side and was captured but later escaped, and on returning to the Free Cities, he crowned Haegon's eldest son Daemon III as the new king in exile.

On the death of King Maekar years later, a Great Council was convened to sort out the complicated succession between his four sons and their heirs. In the midst of this, Daemon's fifth son Aenys Blackfyre presented himself as a candidate, hoping to gain the Iron Throne legitimately. Aenys was promised safe passage to King's Landing to at least present his candidacy before the council. Still, instead, he was immediately arrested by Brynden "Bloodraven" Rivers, half-brother and great rival of both Daemon I and Bittersteel, who promptly executed him. Brynden knew he would be exiled to the Night's Watch for killing Aenys under a flag of peace like this, but it was a price he was willing to pay to remove one more potential Blackfyre pretender.

Haegon's son Daemon III Blackfyre remained king in exile through these events and later launched the Fourth Blackfyre Rebellion again aided by Bittersteel against Maekar's son, King Aegon V Targaryen. Daemon III was personally slain in battle by Ser Duncan the Tall of the Kingsguard.

After that, there was little information about what happened to the remaining Blackfyres until the fifth and last Blackfyre rebellion, known as the War of the Ninepenny Kings, was led by Maelys Blackfyre, called "Maelys the Monstrous" because of his monstrously large size, and because he had a small second head sprouting out of his neck a vestigial conjoined twin that he had absorbed in the womb, that Rebellion ended in failure and that was the end of Blackfyres for the rest of the world.

Now Varys was waiting for the perfect opportunity; he still remembered Daemon when he was just a baby. It had been a long time since Varys saw his nephew, but he knew that it was necessary to prepare for House Blackfyre to take The Iron Throne that belonged to them.

Since Varys was named Master of Whispers, he made sure to end The Targaryen Reign; it was because of Targaryens that his sister was a whore for so many years and suffered; it was the Targaryen's fault that he was raised among thieves and his sister dying and losing the only family he ever had when he found her with his friend Illyrio Mopatis, she was in bad shape but then she was safe. In love with a good man, she died to bring Daemon Blackfyre. His friend Illyrio put his sister's hands in a statue to always have them and touch them.

The maester knew he had cost a lot of suffering amongst the free folk, but that was necessary; his nephew would be someone people would praise. Varys had ensured that Rheagar's plan to send Elia and her children to Dorne would fail.

Varys knew very well Tywin would kill Elia's children so there wouldn't be anyone to pose any threats; it was a cruel thing to do but necessary. But for someone like Tywin, it was like breathing air.

One thing the Maester hadn't expected was the death of Elia; he knew Aegon and Rhaenys would die, but he anticipated that Tywin would keep the fragile woman alive, but it seemed his order was to kill the children but nothing about Elia, which means The Mountain did that on his own free will.

Now not that many people knew for sure that their Daemon was not Aegon Targaryen, son of Elia Martell and Rhaegar Targaryen.

Jaime Lannister would know that, but he was an oathbreaker, and no one would believe him, but Ser Barristan would also know the truth; Varys knew he needed to do something about him soon.

Tywin Lannister might also know the truth, but Varys would make sure to poison him when the war was on the horizon.

Varys and Illyrio had created the best story to tell the people, Varys knew people liked stories of heroes, and their story was the best one. A story of a prince surviving and returning to save a Kingdom from destruction.

Once Viserys is prepared to come to Westeros, Varys would spread the words that the royal children are nothing but Bastards of Cersei Lannister and her uncle Tygett.

That would cause war and chaos; Varys was glad that Viserys was Aerys reborn, and in the middle of all that chaos and war, their Daemon would come like a hero to bring peace to the realm.

What worried Varys was that many people knew House Blackfyre created Golden Company, but Varys and Illyrio had no other army.

Varys wasn't completely sure if he should tell Dorne about this, Prince Oberyn might believe it, but Prince Doran was not stupid and would ask questions that Varys knew he would not be able to answer without raising suspicions.

Having Jon Connington with their Daemon would help to sell the lie and have Blackfyre sword even more.

Selling the lie to Jon Connington was as easy as breathing; he was desperate, and our Daemon reminded him of his sliver prince with his silver hair and violet eyes.

Varys knew Daenerys and Viserys were living in the streets, but his little birds were ordered to make sure they wouldn't die, at least not yet; he needed Viserys as bitter and bloodthirsty as possible to ensure that people would see Aerys reborn when they saw him.

He now reached a secret room in the castle, a room only he knew how to get in; the only source of light was a torch, Varys would occasionally meet his little birds, far from prying eyes, and one of his little birds walks to him and gives him a scroll, Varys gives him a coin, and the bird left almost disappearing in the darkness.

He opens the scroll a bit too quickly.

' A Viper Prince has disappeared. '

He burns the letter and starts thinking about this.

Disappeared! It doesn't matter; everyone who knows about my involvement is already dead, Varys thought without fear.

Leaving the secret dark room, he entered a large hallway lit dimly by torches; at the side was a small opening that led inside his room. Entering his room, Varys suddenly felt a hit on his chest; stumbling back, he fell to the floor; looking down, he saw it was a bolt.

His hands tightened around it as he looked up, yet he didn't scream in pain or terror as someone he hadn't expected walked out of the shadows.

"Prince Oberyn," Varys spoke; the pain was too much, yet, he ignored it as the viper approached him with a crossbow in his right hand.

"Lord Varys, do you know what is happening to you?" Oberyn questions with a loathing that the one responsible for his sister was stuck in King's Landing.

"You're killing me, yet I don't know why?" Varys questioned him with a neutral look, showing no fear whatsoever as if he wasn't in danger of dying.

"Really! Spider, after everything you have done, you still can't tell the truth," Oberyn mocked him with a sneer before crouching to his level, looking him dead in the eye.

"How about the fact you were responsible that Elia and her children were stuck here, you were responsible that the gates of King's Landing were opened to Tywin Lannister and his army of dogs, you thought I didn't know, your birds are everywhere, but Elia knew you were not that active when the army was at King's Landing doorstep, Elia sent a letter about everything you did," Oberyn said with venom seeping into his every word like a viper.

Despite hearing his words, Varys didn't allow himself to be afraid; even in the face of death, he kept his composure; he had done the right thing for his family.

"This is revenge, I understand, so was for me, Prince Oberyn. You desire vengeance, so did I; everyone is a slave to something after all," Varys spoke, not moaning or screaming in pain, he had felt pain his whole life, and now it was his turn to rest.

"Why?" Oberyn demanded with clenched teeth, twisting the bolt a little, yet Varys did not scream in pain; he kept his neutral look as if he couldn't even feel the pain.

"I have known pain my whole life, you can skin me alive, Viper Prince, yet I won't let out as much as a word," Varys spoke without a hint of fear on his face or voice.

Oberyn narrowed his eyes before standing up, pointing his crossbow at his heart. "Any last words?"

"Valar Ēdruta Vīlībagon," he spoke just as the bold penetrated his heart; the last thing he saw was his sister, smiling at him, the one and only time she ever smiled.