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A/N: Arc 4 begins with a diplomatic summit between two warring camps, lol~

-x-X-x-

"Lady Sansa. My apologies for the disturbance but would you mind very much if I sat for a while?"

The look that the she-wolf levels in Arianne's direction is naturally icy, even as she remains kneeling in the middle of the Red Keep's godswood. She doesn't look all that surprised by Arianne's arrival though. Perhaps she was even expecting this to happen eventually.

"I didn't take you for someone who cared much for the Old Gods, Princess."

Arianne's own lips quirk up into a half-smile as she offers a helpless little shrug, looking around the clearing before focusing on the heart tree that Sansa was praying at.

"Desperate times and all that. If you wish for me to leave, I will."

Silence falls and for a moment she thinks that the red head might actually take her up on that offer and send her away. But then Sansa's eyes move past her, taking in the fact that Arianne is by herself. It's just the two of them in the heart tree's clearing.

"… I see you came alone."

Finally, after another lengthy pause, the she-wolf nods.

"Very well. You may stay."

Arianne smiles a bit more brightly at that, before taking a seat on a nearby bench. Sansa doesn't reprimand her for it though; they both know why Arianne is really here and it's not to pray to Sansa's ancient nature gods.

Still, out of respect, she waits until Sansa finally pulls herself up from in front of the heart tree and rises to her feet, moving and sitting on the bench across from her. Even then the Northern Woman says not a word, forcing Arianne to break the silence between them.

"… Have you been to see him yet?"

They both know who 'him' is, of course. Sansa nods slowly, her eyes regarding Arianne carefully yet also calmly.

"I have. We exchanged a few words after he finally returned to the Red Keep. You?"

Arianne nods back, humming as she shifts from side to side for a moment.

"Yes. I noticed his hair has already begun to grow back in. And… he has stubble on his face as well."

"… I noticed the same."

No deception, no subterfuge. Just blunt honesty. Now, Arianne has had to reevaluate her opinion of Sansa Stark multiple times since she first arrived in King's Landing, but she thinks she would be able to tell if the other woman was lying. Especially about something like this. She's not though, which means that for them to have both noticed the slight scratch on his chin and upper lip… he'd kissed them both.

Silence falls as they each absorb that fact. Admittedly, Arianne finds herself contemplating other things as well. Like the pure insanity that was this past week. Everything had been turned on its head with that wildfire explosion. And nobody seemed to know how to react to it either.

Axel had lived, but at what cost? For a time, the prevailing opinion had been that he wouldn't survive… or if he did survive, he would be crippled for the rest of his life. No one had actually thought that he would come out the other side of the attack seemingly unscathed like he did.

But then, there were more types of wounds than just the physical, weren't there? Axel might be fully healed, but Jon Arryn was still dead, as was the Master of Whispers and Grandmaester Pycelle. The Small Council was in shambles and the Ironborn had declared war on the Seven Kingdoms.

It… it really put things into perspective, didn't it?

"… Did you ever see him while he was still burning?"

Sansa stiffens at that question. Then, she slowly shakes her head.

"No. I didn't even try. I've seen the footprints where he walked. That… That was enough for me."

An admission of weakness, some might say. But looking at her, Arianne didn't think that Lady Sansa was very weak at all. No, she would be a fool to treat her competition like some feeble, fretful maiden. Still, one good concession deserves another.

"I tried."

For the first time, Arianne can tell she surprises Sansa just a little bit. The other woman's eyes widen ever so slightly as she looks at Arianne in shock. Smiling somewhat ruefully, the Dornish Princess shrugs a single shoulder.

"I tried to gain entry to the Great Sept of Baelor, but the Kingsguard and the Goldcloaks turned me away."

Oh and how vexing that had been. Not that Arianne had let them truly stop her. She'd sent Tyene next. Her loyal handmaiden and close confidant was perfectly suited for disguising herself as a Septa. And seeing how the Septons and Septas were the only ones still allowed to come and go from the Great Sept during what they were now calling the Seven's Burning, Tyene had been able to sneak in and get her eyes on the King while he'd still been… aflame.

Arianne struggled to imagine what it might have looked like even now, truth be told. Tyene hadn't been much help in that department, though the way that her friend had reacted to what she'd seen was very illuminating in it's own right.

For all her pious and innocent façade, Tyene was not actually the most religious of individuals. Not by a long shot. And yet… when Tyene had come back from the Great Sept to report to Arianne, the Princess had seen it in her handmaiden's eyes. Shock. Awe. Faith.

What Tyene had seen was, apparently, enough to make the Sand Snake fully believe that the Seven were real. More than that, she now professed a belief that the Seven were working in the material world directly through the form of Axel Baratheon, First of his Name.

Arianne wasn't sure what she believed, but she definitely wasn't foolish enough to disagree with Tyene. The other woman's fervent words had been more than a little perturbing truth be told, but then… it was just like she'd told Sansa.

These were strange, difficult times, weren't they? Desperate, that was the word she'd used mere minutes ago. And desperate times called for desperate measures.

"Lady Sansa… I came here today because I hoped to call for a truce. And perhaps reach a greater level of understanding between us."

She catches Sansa off guard again with that. The other woman's eyes narrow and for a moment she studies Arianne as if she doesn't fully believe her. Which… fair. But finally, Sansa lets out a shuddering breath and repeats the Dornish Princess' words with an icy tone.

"A truce."

Nodding, Arianne sighs.

"Yes, a truce. Now is not the time for us to be trying to score points against one another. And I highly doubt that the King will be making a choice anyways in the coming days. Not with everything that's been happening."

It's a shame really, because Arianne had it on good authority that the very Small Council Meeting where the wildfire explosion took place was going to be the one where Axel would have announced his would-be Queen. But that had all fallen to the wayside now… and admittedly for good reason.

In the end… she decides that she might as well be honest with her rival. At this point, their entire competition feels… petty.

"The thing is… I can't go back to Dorne. Even if Axel does choose you over me when this is all over, I think I might just prefer fleeing to Essos and living in exile rather than returning to Sunspear."

At Sansa's shocked, incredulous look, Arianne smiles and shrugs.

"My father… he's always hated me for some reason. I don't know why, but I do know that whether the King marries me or not, I will never be allowed to rule Dorne. My younger brother is going to inherit my father's seat no matter what happens to me here."

Taking a deep breath, Arianne continues on, staring down at her hands.

"If I do return to Dorne, then all I have to look forward to is a gilded cage. My father will continue to offer me old and decrepit men as prospective husbands, knowing full well I won't accept them. I will be honest Lady Stark… I was trapped in Sunspear, like a rat in a cage. King's Landing has been the freest I've ever felt in my entire life. In fact, I would rather join Lady Tyrell as yours and the King's pet than return to my homeland."

Sansa stiffens in response to that last bit, causing Arianne to smile ruefully. Yes, she knew about Margaery Tyrell. But to be fair, she's sure that Sansa knows about Tyene as well. They both have their… assets, in the end, don't they?

For a long moment, Sansa is silent, mulling over Arianne's words. Finally though, the red head nods.

"… A truce then. I won't lie and pretend that the life waiting for me in the North is anywhere close to what you just described awaits you in Dorne. But I won't lie… I would rather stay in King's Landing as the King's mistress than return home, even if he does pick you as his Queen. I don't… I'm not sure I can live without him anymore. This past week has been…"

Sansa trails off, looking a strange mixture of aggrieved and frustrated with herself. Without really thinking about it, Arianne reaches over and takes one of Sansa's hands in her own, startling the she-wolf and making her look at her in shock.

Smiling softly, Arianne squeezes Sansa's hand.

"Axel loves us both. I truly believe that. So in the end… forget being rivals. I would much rather have you as my friend than my enemy, Lady Stark."

"… I feel the same, Princess Martell."

-x-X-x-

Outside of the godswood, Margaery scowls, arms crossed over her chest as she narrows her eyes at a serenely smiling Tyene Sand. She should have brought Brienne with her apparently, but then to be fair, she hadn't expected to run into the Princess of Dorne's handmaiden on her way to see Sansa. Nor had she anticipated being barred from entering one of the most open locations in the entire Red Keep!

"You have no right to stop me from going into the godswood."

"You're right, my lady. All I can do is ask you to wait a little while longer. The Princess and Lady Stark will almost certainly finish their conversation soon."

Yes, and that was the problem. What were they talking about? Margaery needed to know. She needed… she needed to understand where she stood. Before wildfire wiped out half of the Small Council and nearly killed the King, she'd actually been somewhat comfortable as Sansa Stark's second, as her 'handmaiden'.

Sure, she'd had the tables turned on her by the other woman rather ruthlessly and found herself completely and utterly submitting to the Northern Lady… but it wasn't an unpleasant experience. And so long as Sansa wished to keep her maidenhead intact, Margaery got to play the role of 'go-between' for Axel and her. She got to experience more of that amazing, fat cock that the King sported.

But now… Margaery didn't even know where to begin. Some very important men were dead. Axel should have died but they were saying the Seven had saved him and frankly, Margaery believed it. And now the Princess of Dorne and her handmaiden were playing games to keep Margaery and Sansa apart.

Sure, Tyene technically didn't have any authority to keep Margaery out of the godswood, but Margaery wasn't a fool. Tyene Sand might seem innocent and as fragile as glass, but Margaery didn't trust it. She'd seen the other Sand Snakes in action and she suspected that all three of the ones in King's Landing were as dangerous as one another, each in their own way.

Technically, she could have just walked past Tyene at this point. But she didn't know what the other woman would do if she tried. She wasn't at all certain of what Tyene Sand was capable of. That fear and uncertainty had kept her rooted in place for the last several minutes, all while the bitch stared at her in near-silence!

"You shouldn't be afraid of me, you know."

Jolted out of her thoughts, Margaery looks to see Tyene still smiling at her serenely. Coloring, the Lady of Highgarden huffs.

"I-I'm not afraid of you."

"Yes you are. But it's alright. The Blessed King enjoys your company. And you know your place too. So long as you do not try to rise above your station, you have nothing to fear from me. I swear upon the Seven Who Are One that no harm will come to you so long as you continue to hold the Blessed King's favor."

A shiver runs down Margaery's spine. Creepy fucking bitch!

-x-X-x-

Asha Greyjoy gnashes her teeth as she stands on the balcony just outside of her guest rooms in the Red Keep. Her hands grip the railing hard enough that the bones grind together. None of this made any fucking sense.

Not the wildfire bullshit or Axel surviving it. That was… well, it was weird sure. But Asha didn't really care all that much except to be grateful that Axel still lived. It didn't matter that he should have died, he hadn't and that was all that mattered.

… But how the FUCK had Euron Greyjoy gained control of the Iron Islands without so much as a whisper of a Kingsmoot?! Bad enough that her bastard uncle had apparently slipped right past her and killed her father. Asha didn't believe the rumors of Euron only showing up after Balon had an 'accident' for even a second, damn it!

Even still, Balon's death should have triggered a Kingsmoot, for all that it was an ancient tradition! His only living son was Theon fucking Greyjoy and Asha knew her brother was never going to inherit the Seastone Chair if their people had anything to say about it. That just left her, but of course she was halfway across the world and a woman to boot. Which REALLY just left Balon's brothers… of which three remained.

The youngest of her uncles, Aeron Greyjoy, was a Priest of the Drowned God who went by the name Damphair. He wasn't really in the running. But her other uncle, Victarion Greyjoy definitely should have been even if he was a bit of an idiot. And Victarion was the very reason that Euron had been exiled from the Iron Islands in the first place!

Except, rather than there being a Kingsmoot and some discussion about whether it should be Victarion or Euron who should inherit the Seastone Chair and title of Lord Reaper of Pyke… Euron had just seized it. And apparently done so without any bloodshed either! (save for her father's anyways.)

There were no rumors of Victarion dying alongside her father. And not a single bit of scuttlebutt regarding Ironborn who weren't siding with Euron. It shouldn't have been possible, but somehow Euron had come back from exile and united the Ironborn behind him almost effortlessly.

He'd done it so quickly and so swiftly that he'd then gone on to declare himself King of the Iron Islands and declared war on all of Westeros. All before Axel Baratheon had even stopped burning.

Admittedly, real news traveled slowly and in the coming days, Asha might learn more about just how her exiled uncle had done this. But right now, the Ironborn Woman is more confused by how Euron took control of the Iron Islands than she is by Axel surviving the wildfire.

It just didn't make any damn sense!

-x-X-x-

A/N: Poor Asha. She is confusion.

Feedback is GREATLY appreciated, every comment helps me shape the story with a Daily Free Write like this one!

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Spoiler

(Also something that even my patrons don't know yet... in Chapter 67, the chapter that will go up on my Patreon tomorrow (not today), Axel FLIES for the first time!)

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