All trademarked items in this fanfiction is owned by their respective copyright holders (A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin, Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio by Ark Performance, etc). The ones owned by me are past and future OCs, plot, and author's thoughts. This fanfiction is made solely for entertainment purposes and not intended for any material gain.

A Capriccio of Winds and Earths

Kobushi 1

"Good morning Prince Oberyn," Yamato said as she approached four people sitting by a table in the Sunset Stag inn. "I was informed that you people have some business with me?"

"Ah, my lovely lady," Oberyn said, standing up from his seat on the long table. "This is a follow-up visit from our chat in the king's feast, really. These are the eldest of my daughters, collectively referred to as the Sand Snakes. Girls, introduce yourselves."

"Obara Sand," the first girl said brusquely, her sharp eyes trained into Yamato's.

"My name is Nymeria Sand, my lady," the second girl said, her lips curled into a sly smile. "A pleasure."

"I am Tyene Sand, my lady," the third girl said, her voice soft and a sliver higher in tone compared to her sisters.

"As we have discussed in the feast, I am here to offer one of these three girls as handmaidens to members of your house," Oberyn said.

"This is quite a lot more than I expected, to be honest," Yamato said as she sat down. "Although I would have liked a few more days to decide, with the business taking members of my house to different directions…"

"Oh? This is interesting," Oberyn "Would you mind if I know? I might be able to offer… insights."

"Your father is such a flatterer, is it not girls?" Yamato said after an airy laugh.

"That is so, my Lady," Nymeria said, her tone wry.

"Well then, about our situaton," Yamato steered the conversation back on track. "I will be conducting business here in the capital, in preparation of opening up a specialty business. My wise-woman Hyuuga will be overseeing a joint venture with House Clegane instead, while the Kingsguards has contacted me about work, too."

"A joint venture with the Cleganes?" Oberyn asked, curious."Permit me some reservations my lady, but they are but a small knightly house with barely any land to their name."

"All the better for a small project," Yamato answered the question."Less capital needed, less risk, less time spent to bounce back from failure."

"That is very… mercantile of you, my lady," Nymeria commented. "Are you sure you're not a merchant's daughter?"

"An application of tried and true logic, nothing more," Yamato replied to the question.

"Conducting business, my lady of Kirino?" Tywin Lannister's voice cut into the dialogue as his hand landed on Yamato's right shoulder. The mood shifted. Obara tensed.

"That is so, my lord of Lannister," Yamato replied while standing up. "Ready to move out, I presume?"

"Yes. The core party of the Westerland's delegation will be departing with Lady Hyuuga after loading is finished. This is farewell I suppose," Tywin answered Yamato's question, his eyes not leaving the younger woman.

"I see, I see," Yamato replied, clasping the Warden of The West's hand in a seemingly affectionate gesture. "I'm so sorry if I cannot walk you to the harbor…"

"No matter. I'm going to borrow your jin-rikisha and the puller, however," Tywin said, the short contact done before any of the Martells can register. "Prince Oberyn, my ladies. Do forgive my interruption."

"Lord Lannister," Oberyn said in a cordial, if slightly strained, tone.

"Then, if you'd excuse me," Tywin said, slightly inclining his head towards the Dornish.

A few moments pass as Tywin and his entourage moves out of the Sunset Stag inn. Oberyn let loose a deep sigh. Obara's fist was balled.

"Obara," Oberyn then said in a quiet tone. "Your hand… remove it from your waist before it gets us further in trouble."

"Forgive me, father," Obara said, snorting in frustration as she relaxed a little. Almost all of the Lannister entourage has left the inn.

"Such a grisly history behind him," Yamato commented. "Not once he behaved harshly to my face. Never harsher than mine own father."

"It is no great secret that he ordered the sack of King's Landing," Oberyn said, rubbing his scalp in apparent frustration.

"Very peculiar, that. In the chronicles of Nihon it's almost always the castles alone that gets plundered," Yamato said, before getting back to the matter of their former conversation. "But I digress. Now you heard my plight, my prince, surely you understand that I'm hesitant of taking one of your daughters to service as an aide given your history with the Lannisters."

"I see…" Oberyn said, rubbing his chin. "But… this could be… an opportunity on itself…"

"Oh? Let it be known that The Viper of Dorne is not a hesitant person, ufufu…" Yamato said, an amused smile on the tips of her lip.

"Yes… there's a proverb in Dorne," Oberyn said. "A rabid dog you can see takes your mind off the noise in the bush."

"Ah… keeping one's enemy closer than friends, I suppose?" Yamato asked for clarification.

"Aye…" Oberyn confirmed Yamato's assertation. "I was thinking that perhaps one of my lovely Sands here could get… an assignment with your relatives in The Westerlands…"

"I believe it can be arranged," Yamato said, leaning her body forward and making a bridge with her hands in front of her chin. "Are any of them skilled in botany and bushcraft?"

"I… I do have some knowledge in those, but… Sarella might be a better choice," Tyene said, raising her hand.

"Sarella is also not here," Nymeria commented.

"Nymeria is right," Yamato agreed to the observation. "You will have to do, Tyene. If you want it, I will write you a letter for Hyuuga to declare you a personal assistant to her, approved by me and your father."

"I… yes, I will do that," Tyene said after a glance to her father was replied with a subtle nod.

"Will that be satisfactory, Prince Oberyn?" Yamato asked.

"Most satisfactory, my lady," Oberyn answered the question. "Though if I can persuade you to… maybe allow Obara as a guard?"

"One is a sure coincidence, but two invites suspicion Prince Oberyn," Yamato replied to Oberyn's question. "Two snakes in the acre of apple grove that is King's Landing will be normal, but two in the little hole of Clegane's keep?"

"Loathe that I must admit it, she is right Father," Nymeria offered her opinion. "Tyene is safer when she is harder to see."

"True…" Oberyn agreed, a little reluctance in his voice.

"Ah, and I must ask that if you are to… enact certain measures against certain parties, House Kirino will declare that you are acting on your own," Yamato said as she clapped her hands aloud.

"You drive a very hard bargain, my lady," Nymeria opined. "Harder than some merchant magnates we know. They are at least two decades older than you, too."

"I shall take that as a compliment, Nymeria," Yamato said, a ghost of a giggle in the end of her sentence.

"Very well, let's get it over with," Oberyn said, letting out a long exhalation. Kasumi brought a sheet of paper and a set of writing tools, then Yamato wrote what she intended on the thick sheet with a vertical, looping script.

"That is… quite a fascinating writing, my lady," Tyene said as Yamato blew on the finished writing.

"The Old Letters is unknown in the kingdom, save for our house," Yamato replied. "Perfect for concealing intents, no? Hyuuga might just teach you if she deemed you worthy."

"This is a great boon to me and my Sands, my lady," Oberyn said after he scrawled his signature on the paper and stamped it with a signet ring. "Are you sure that I can not… aid you further?"

"I might, I might, " Yamato said as she folded and sealed the letter. "But first Tyene must catch a ship, is it not?"

"Obara, use my horse," Oberyn said as yamato handed the letter to Tyene. "Tyene, pack light."

"There's a beach just off the Iron Gate where Suzutsuki is idling with a boat we usually use to ferry about stuff. Show her the letter and she'll take Tyene to Hyuuga's ship. Lord Lannister much preferred the riverside harbor he is more familiar with, so he will be a little delayed," Yamato said with a sly wink.

"Such great favors," Nymeria said as her two sisters set off.

"Still want to be my aide?" Yamato asked with a teasing tone.

"I'm sure it would be a very… interesting time," Nymeria replied, her tone a little more playful.

"Swordheart could also use aid in practicing her spears," Yamato said as she laid her gaze against the Dornish Prince. "What say you, Prince Martell?"

"Cornered by two women and cheated off a deal," Oberyn said in a dramatic tone. "Oh, what misfortunes!"

A/N: I guess here it is, the sequel of the well-received An Arpeggio of Ice on Fire! I decided to split this off from the first fic because I'm trying to mirror the 'multiple threads' storytelling style GRRM used in ASoIaF. I don't have a locked 'viewpoint character' like GRRM does, but the tone and setting of each of my threads will be somewhat different. The chapter size will also be rather small, between 1000 to 2000 words a chapter; with this I hope I can achieve a consistent twice monthly posting schedule. I hope you will like this story as much as its predecessor, and support it too! For ways to help me financially, take a gander at my twitter writernightpen.