It's been so long since I've written anything, but this idea won't leave me alone so here's hoping that the motivation stays all the way to the end. Updates depending on my uni work load.

Disclaimer – I don't own Game of Thrones or anything related to it

Chapter 1

Winter to Summer

I had deeply hoped never to set foot in the south again but as a lady of a noble house I had no choice in the matter. Upon his return from war my brother had arrived home with not only a bastard son but with news of my impending marriage.

Flashback

"Mariah, I'm so happy to see you." Ned told me as he pulled me into a hug, it had been too long since we had seen each other.

"I'm very glad your back safely brother. We've lost too much over the past few years but we're back together now."

"I wish that was true…" There was that express that he always wore when he had to tell me something, he knew I wouldn't like. "Before I left the capital Robert asked me for help in bringing Dorne back into the Seven Kingdoms, with what had occurred at the end of the war we are at risk of them rising in rebellion against Robert."

"But surely there is nothing you can do about it. We have no ties with Dorne so how you could do anything to lessen the situation I don't know."

"That is where you come in. Robert has arranged a match between you and Prince Oberyn, with my blessing."

End Flashback

Almost two months had passed since that conversation and I found myself on a boat arriving in Dorne for my wedding in a week. Everything around me was different, I had new clothes that were more suited for the climate, I knew only two people on the boat and even the scenery was so very different from the snow and ice of the North.

At least I had some family with me as after much arguing and begging with Ned he gave his blessing for me to take my nephew Jon with me. It had become very apparent during the short time I spent around Catelyn that she would always look down on Jon for being a bastard despite him only being a baby and not to blame for being born. In the end Ned had seen reason that Jon would be more accepted in Dorne where they are more accepting of bastards than anywhere else in Westeros.

I took a deep breath as I stepped onto solid ground for the first time in two months. It was time to face my betrothed and his family. Who hates my family. I struggle to understand it though; my sister didn't ask to be crowned at the tournament or to be kidnapped. The heat of Dorne bore down on me something that I hadn't felt since that damned tournament, but I would have to adjust.

Shakily I stepped forward towards the people waiting for me, in the centre was a man who could only be Prince Doran but there was no sign of my betrothed whether for better or worse.

"Prince Doran it's a pleasure to meet you." I say as I curtsy to the man who very soon would be head of my house.

"Lady Mariah, welcome to Dorne. I hope that you can be happy here."

"I hope so too." I smiled slightly all I could manage in this suffocating heat that was beginning to make me light headed. I waved the wet nurse carrying Jon forward. "There is someone I must introduce you to Prince Doran, this is my nephew Jon Snow. With my brother's permission he has been entrusted to me as a ward with plans for him to visit Winterfell when he is older."

"I'm sure that he will be happy here, the Watergardens are a favourite of children all over Dorne." He smiled obviously happy to talk about something easy such as a child, "I do have to tell you that my brother is not currently present but will be at dinner so perhaps you would like to rest before dinner my lady?" A maid was motioned forward clearly to lead me to my rooms.

"Yes of course thank you Prince Doran." I curtsy again before following the maid, glad to be out of the sun.

The rooms I was given were more finely decorated than my own in Winterfell. They were designed to allow air to move freely and keep the room cool which I was very thankful for. All around the room servants moved around putting away what belongings I had brought with me which I oversaw from a seat in the shade. The maid who had escorted me here was soon the only one left with me, Jon had been taken to the gardens by his nursemaid for some fresh air.

"Prince Doran has requested that a crib be found for your nephew my lady. It should be brought in by the end of the day so that he may stay with you."

"Oh, how kind of him. I'm sorry what did you say your name was?"

"Dorea, my lady, forgive me for not informing you earlier."

"It's alright, if you don't mind, I'd like some time alone."

"Of course, my lady." She curtsied before leaving. For the first time since leaving Winterfell I was alone which made it the perfect time to finally cry. Not for long of course I didn't want to appear weak in front of the Martells.

Eventually Dorea returned to help me dress for dinner. A seamstress came with her to take some measurements so that some dresses suitable for the Dornish climate could be made, some had been made for me in Winterfell but the seamstresses there had never used such thin fabric before so the dresses while wearable were not suitable for a future princess of Dorne.

"Lady Stark, thank you for joining us." Of the two men sat before me only Prince Doran acknowledged my presence. The other sat watching me not quite glaring but making it clear that I wasn't wanted. "My brother Prince Oberyn."

"A pleasure to meet you Prince Oberyn." I curtsied to him but got only a grunt in return. Before I left Ned had told me how Prince Oberyn was the most vocal about justice for their sister and the angriest about being denied and instead made to marry me. It wouldn't surprise me if he hated me due to Ned fighting with Robert during the war despite Ned not approving of what happened to Princess Elia and her children.

If that was the case I wondered if either of them remembered what my family had lost, the start of the war was largely due to King Aerys killing my father and brother Brandon when they demanded the return of Lyanna who was also dead by the end of the war.

"Please, come sit and we can start our meal." I nodded and took the free seat next to Prince Doran, at least he would be a buffer between me and Prince Oberyn. "How do you like your rooms my lady."

"There are beautiful, thank you Prince Doran." Conversation quickly died down as we just sat eating. I had hoped that the meal would end with no mention of the upcoming wedding. But once again the gods worked against me.

"Do you have any thoughts for the wedding?" Again, it was Prince Doran starting conversation while Prince Oberyn was still disinterested despite it being his wedding too.

"No, I'm afraid not Prince Doran. Other than my dress I have nothing to input." My dress was the only thing that I knew I could have control over everything else would be done by Dornish standards. I would be married in a sept rather than in a godswood before my gods, the old gods not the seven.

"Very well then." Luckily that was clearly the end of dinner and we all quickly dispersed. Where they went, I had no idea, but I almost ran back to my rooms hoping to take some comfort from familiar belongings and the presence of Jon.

Once back inside I took Jon from the nurse and sent her to have her own dinner. He babbled happily in my arms not at all concerned with the reason why we were so far south.

"We'll be okay won't we Jon?" There was no answer just more babbling, but it still cheered me up it had been cheering me up the entire journey. "Look Jon your crib is here."

He was falling asleep against me, so I gently set him down in the beautiful crib that had been brought to the room. I poked my head out the door and asked a servant to send Dorea to me so that I could get ready for bed.

Once morning arrived Dorea woke me up with breakfast and helped me dress for the day before the seamstress arrived to begin fitting me for normal dresses as well as my wedding dress. The rest of my day was spent exploring my new home sometimes with Jon for company, allowing him to splash in the Watergardens always produced many giggles to go with my soaking wet dress. That was how I spent everyday of the week leading up to my wedding.

There was no stopping the passage of time so eventually my wedding day arrived. Like every other day Dorea woke me up only it was slightly earlier than usual, Dornish weddings take place earlier in the day to avoid the midday heat.

"Are you ready for today my lady?" Dorea asked as she began styling my hair for the day.

"As ready as I'll ever be. I never thought I'd be getting married in a sept."

"Oh, do you not worship the seven in the North?"

"No, we have the Old Gods, they have no names they simply are. We pray in godswoods, I always preferred praying alone just me and the gods."

"It sounds very peaceful my lady."

"It was." Luckily, she fell quiet and concentrated on pinning my hair up before helping me into my wedding dress. The seamstress had done very well with the dress, it was a light weight white material with beautiful embroidery on the skirt, over the top of the dress of course went my family cloak with the sigil of House Stark on the back. It had been made by my mother before her death, I had only had to finish the last of the embroidery of the sigil.

Fully dressed I began the lonely walk to the sept, I had no family there to walk me down the aisle but despite how lonely I was I held my head high with a blank face. Standing with his back turned was Prince Oberyn perhaps the only thing we could agree on was that we didn't want to be married.

The septon began the ceremony but I couldn't bring myself to truly listen to the words only barely registering where we were so that I could say the words at the right time.

"You may now cloak the bride and bring her under your protection." The septon intoned prompting me to turn around so that the Stark cloak could be removed and replaced with the Martell one by the clearly reluctant Prince Oberyn. That done we face the septon again joining our hands which the septon ties together with a ribbon, "In the sight of the Seven, I hereby seal these two souls, binding them as one, for eternity. Now look upon one another and say the words."

We turn to each other as instructed I stared straight ahead at Prince Oberyn's chest rather than looking into his cold eyes.

"Father, Smith, Warrior, Mother, Maiden, Crone, Stranger. I am his and he is mine from this day until the end of my days."

"Father, Smith, Warrior, Mother, Maiden, Crone, Stranger. I am hers and she is mine from this day until the end of my days."

With the ceremony now over the septon released our hands and we exited the sept to move onto the feast that had been planned but at this point I couldn't eat a thing not with thoughts of the night ahead on my mind. Once sat at the head table for the feast next to Prince Oberyn it finally seemed to seek in, I was no longer Lady Mariah Stark but Princess Mariah Martell and no doubt soon I would be a mother.

All around me people laughed, ate and drank to their hearts content while I could only nervously pick at the small amount of food I had on my plate. Next to me Prince Oberyn didn't eat either but instead drank wine with no end in sight, we hadn't said a single thing to each other all night.

"Time for the bedding." Some one called out much to the celebration of the others. They descended upon us the woman taking a slightly drunk Prince Oberyn while the men took me, pulling at my dress and the pins in my hair. By the time we reached what must have been Prince Oberyn's room my beautiful wedding dress was mostly ripped to shreds and all my hair pins had been pulled out.

I was pushed inside and sat trembling on the bed until Prince Oberyn entered another goblet of wine in his hand. Much like me most of his clothes had been removed but he seemed not to care about that.

"We're expected to have a child not just consummate this farce of a marriage, you know, that right?" he asked, the very first he had willingly said to me.

"Yes, Ned told me before I left." I murmured remembering the awkward conversation with my brother, it wasn't something I'd ever wanted to talk to a brother about but as it was part of what King Robert wanted it had to be done.

"Suppose before we get to that I hope you know that I have absolutely no interest in this marriage. There will be separate rooms and the only thing in common we will have will be the baby."

"Yes, I understand." It was exactly as I had expected but I suppose I will at least have my baby to care for. It seemed that now he had told me that we had to move forward to consummate the marriage with the hope that it would result in a baby and we could go on to our separate lives as quickly as possible. Perhaps this marriage thing wouldn't be too terrible.

So that's the end of the first chapter I hope you enjoyed it, let me know what you think. Next chapter will include a time skip.