"The princess Rhaenys and little prince Aegon." She nodded sombrely. "And princess Elia. It was nightmarish. I could not believe that they would have harmed a little girl and her mother.
And my husband…he was troubled by it. He would refuse to speak of it, for he saw their bodies, and I think it marked him."
...
Indeed, when news had come about what had happened to the children and princess Elia, she had been horrified along with everyone else. However, if time had wiped that memory from her, it surely had not wiped it from the Dornish, and who could blame them?
She remembered the Darrys and the burnt villages in the Riverlands. Truly, the world would be better off without the likes of Gregor Clegane.
"And we are both here, sent by people more powerful than us – related I might add – to try and conclude an impossible alliance with Renly Baratheon to try and get him to crush the Lannisters." He shook his head. "We both want justice for our loved ones, but somehow I think it will be long till we get it.
But we must do our duty for our mutual houses, no?"
"We must." She said simply.
"I would wager than you would rather be in Winterfell, surrounded by your children and reading them stories." He smiled. "I would also like to be on the beaches near the Water Gardens, my arms around the woman I love, with the waves rushing to tickle my feet, but here we are."
"Here we are." Catelyn nodded.
There was some truth to what the prince was saying. She would much rather be at Winterfell. But she couldn't. Not while her son was fighting a war. Not while her son needed her still. Not when her daughters were still under the lion's clutches.
"Would you like to cry, my lady?" he asked, almost bluntly.
"Cry?"
"I have observed you and I feel like you are holding something back." The scarred prince said. "It will give you no shame to cry. Crying does not make you weak, my lady. It means that you have feeling, like any of us."
"And what good would crying do, my prince?" she shrugged. "I will spend my tears when I will have my daughters back."
"As you wish, my lady." The prince quickly dropped the issue.
"Do you think Lord Renly will ever make a move on the Lannisters?" she asked, trying to move on.
After all, since the Dornish prince had been here longer than her, he surely had more information than her in regards to their situation.
"My lady, I have been here for eight days and all I saw was King Renly's host having done nothing but feast and host tourneys and melees. It will be a disaster when war finally comes to them."
"War will make them old." She sighed.
"War will make them dead." The prince scoffed. "I have not been impressed by the men fighting in the melee, I will tell you that much. The Stormlanders have some abilities but the Reachmen come in and think that war is exactly like the songs they sing."
"They are knights of the summer…" she started.
"…and Winter is coming." The prince finished. "As the Starks love reminding us. The thing is…they're unfortunately usually right. Winter will come for them, and when it does…I pity them."
"Winter comes sooner than we'd all like." She found the heart to say. "Even you, my prince."
"Hopefully my hot Dornish blood can keep winter away for a little while longer." He half-joked. "But for King Renly's men, I would agree that it shall come sooner than he thinks, for I fear that we are the only two people in this castle that take Renly's older brother as a threat."
"You mean Lord Renly doesn't see Stannis as a threat?"
"He thinks King Stannis wouldn't make a good king and therefore he would not take up arms against him." The prince shook his head. "He is going to have a big disappointment coming his way. If a boy who decides to release the only thing keeping Balon Greyjoy from attacking the Seven Kingdoms, then anyone can declare themselves king."
"Careful, Prince Quentyn." Catelyn's eyes narrowed at the insult.
"My apologies, it was not meant to be degrading." He shook his head. "But your son, although he has won a great victory at Riverrun, decided to squander away a valuable hostage. I wouldn't like to be smallfolk around the Northern shore. Balon Greyjoy is a resentful man, and he will go after house Stark."
"I did tell him not to send our ward…"
"But the King's word is law?" he sighed. "A first of many blunders. Luckily, your son isn't the only one making them. By waiting here instead of crushing the Lannisters when they are down, I fear that King Renly is making a much bigger one than King Robb's."
"I still hope that they will both see reason."
"I fear that it might be too late for that, my lady." He shook his head. "Whatever brotherly bonds there once were, they are gone now."
"Brothers are…" Catelyn started before she was instantly cut off by a woman's voice.
"There you are!" the woman shouted.
It was a young woman, too. Her hair was dark and formed a single braid reaching far down her back, and her skin was lighter than the prince's, but still darker than her own.
"I've been looking for you, love, there are…" the girl stopped when she locked eyes with her. "Oh, forgive me, lady Stark. I didn't see you had charmed my cousin."
Cousin? Was this one of Prince Oberyn's daughters?
"Ah, Lady Stark." The scarred prince nodded. "My cousin, Lady Nymeria Sand."
A bastard. Catelyn wanted to sneer, but couldn't. After all, it was well-known that the Dornish treated their bastards differently than the rest of the kingdoms, and that Prince Oberyn had even become enamoured with one. Any insult she would throw here, she would likely regret.
"Well met, my lady." She instead nodded, the young girl shaking her hand quite vigorously.
"Was I interrupting something, love?" she asked as the prince rose from the seat he had previously occupied.
"We were talking with Lady Stark about the war." He replied simply. "We talked about this."
"I see." She replied. "I am sorry for your loss, my lady. Another crime to add on the Lannister's list. I only hope you need not wait five-and-ten years or even more to get justice."
She spat out the last words like they were poison.
"I hope you find your justice, my lady." She nodded. "And congratulate your son on his great victory! The lions have run with their tail between their legs, and thanks to him the Kingslayer is dead."
He is, but at what cost? So many men that will not live to see their homes again. So many mothers that will not see their sons. So many sons and daughters that will weep their fathers…
"Thank you." She only nodded. "I shall tell him."
Before the Dornish bastard had time to say anything else, another presence made itself known in the long hallways of Bitterbridge, and it was not a voice she would have wagered on hearing.
"Prince Quentyn!" the voice boomed. "Are you trying to seduce Lady Catelyn to your bed? Didn't anyone tell you that honorable ladies such as Lady Stark will not fall for your Dornish charms?"
Of course, it was Renly Baratheon that had tried to make this jest. One of poor taste, she might add.
"I fear Lady Stark is a wolf indeed." The scarred prince replied. "I did not think it for a second, your grace. We were talking about our families."
"Well, I hope you don't mind if I steal her from you, prince Quentyn?"
"Of course not, your grace." He shook his head. "If my lady consents, of course."
"I would be honored." Catelyn immediately stood up.
It would give her an excuse not to talk to the bastard much longer, and as much as prince Quentyn's company was appreciated, he was still a Dornishman, and she couldn't bring herself to trust them enough to believe every word he had said.
"Your grace." The prince added. "Do you not have a sworn guard with you?"
"If I cannot walk freely in Lord Caswell's castle, where can I?" he laughed.
The prince's face remained stern.
"You'd be surprised how deep Tywin Lannister's pockets run."
Lord Renly's face went from smiling to a slight frown.
"I shall keep it in mind."
The prince nodded and turned to his cousin. Although, as Catelyn made to leave, he saw the prince and her cousin kiss…on the lips…passionately.
Seeing her nearly dumbfounded, Lord Renly laughed and clasped her shoulder quite roughly.
"Don't worry about it, Lady Catelyn. These two are as Dornish as could be."
It took a moment for her to collect her emotions from what she had seen, but in the end, she only shook her head. Dornishmen remained a mystery to her, and it seemed that they embraced the insults the realm was throwing at them.
Yet the conversation she had with the young prince felt different. Although the Dornish were strangers, she felt a little more drawn to them. And mostly, there was an opportunity.
If Robb was the ones to give them justice, could they convince Dorne to join forces to crush the Lannisters?
It was the King that saved her from her thoughts, as she shook her head and readied herself for another long discussion.
"Now, my lady. Would you know perchance if Ser Barristan…"