Finally, the Seven had blessed you. That was your first thought when the Dornish maester announced your pregnancy.

You were King Aerys’s youngest daughter, quiet and timid, always eclipsed by your brother Rhaegar, the silver prince. Who would spare a thought for the silent princess when the firstborn shone so brightly? That shadow had long left you insecure.

Then came your brother’s wedding. His marriage to Princess Elia of Dorne drew half the realm to King’s Landing. Among them was Elia’s younger brother, Prince Oberyn—the infamous Red Viper. From the moment his dark eyes found you, it seemed he could not look away. His bold charm, his relentless flirting, and, in time, his proposal swept you into his orbit. Soon, you were his bride, his wife. “You will thrive in Dorne, ñuha riña(my girl),” he had promised on your wedding day. “You deserve nothing less than joy.” And now, with a child stirring in your belly, that promise felt real.

Upon hearing the news, Oberyn took his new role to heart. He knew your family’s history of difficult births, then his caution became devotion. He was your shadow, your protector. His hand lingered often against your baby bump, he brought your favorite dishes himself, fussed with cushions at your back, and teased you endlessly about names neither of you could agree upon. For a time, everything seemed golden.

Until it was not.

War whispered through the halls. Rebellion brewed. Oberyn tried to keep the rumors from your ears, but servants and maids still gossip behind their hands. You pieced together the tale: your brother had stolen a lady of the North. The lords stirred in outrage, the stags most of all. You wore your usual mask of calm so Oberyn would not see the fear gnawing at you. But the daily gossips bothered you. Each flutter from within your womb, five months along, reminded you how helpless you are to the whole situation. The pain in your back grew constant, a dull ache spreading lower, sharper.

One morning while walking around in the garden, warm blood trickled down your thighs. You gasped in pain, your maids caught you almost instantly, rubbing your lower back trying to soothe you a little while nearby guards had already ran to fetch Oberyn.