Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken

Chapter Nine: With Wisdom, We Conquer

None of Amara's ladies had been quite sure what to expect the next morning when they arrived to serve their mistress; most had been there to see her embarrassment when it was announced that her lord husband had forsaken her bed. 

There had been no doubts in anyone's mind where Prince Oberyn had spent the night; the servants had whispered that Ellaria's cries of passion had been heard long into the night. 

Stepping into the chambers, they took note that Herit was already there preparing a bath for their mistress; however, it was the sight of the new Princess that surprised them. 

Amara was not in a crumpled heap nor was she still in bed when they arrived, there was no sign that she had spent the night crying at the idea that already her husband had forsaken her for another. 

"Princess," they murmured in greeting as Amara appeared ready for her bath, she paid them no mind as she walked across the room; none dared say a word as they took in the woman that stood before them. 

Herit moved to help Amara into the bath, she was proud of her friend for not wallowing on a man that was surely not worth it if he would forsake his new bride for a whore. 

No matter what Oberyn did, there would be no ignoring the fact that Amara was now a Princess of Dorne and no matter what influence Ellaria held as Oberyn's paramour; it would never amount to what influence Amara held as his wife. 

Herit couldn't help but smile, she had been the one to comfort Amara that night and she would do everything in her power to make sure that her friend did not find herself in a position that could endanger her position. 

Leaning back in her bath, Amara closed her eyes as she thought about her new game plan; she wasn't going to take this lying down. 

Unbowed. Unbent. Unbroken. Those were her husband's words and Amara intended to live by them; she would not allow some jumped up whore to displace her in any other way.

However even with her new position, Amara would not forget that she was of House Cantrell of Fairmarsh and her own family words With Wisdom, We Conquer; they seemed to speak to her more now than they ever had been in her life. 

Amara would not allow Oberyn's actions to bother her, if he wished to only have his whore then so be it; she would make her parents proud and make her own mark on Dorne. 

Climbing out of her bath, her ladies quickly started to prepare her for the day ahead; she had discussed her plans for the day with no one put Herit who agreed with her on her course of action. 

Once dried and dressed, Amara moved to break her fast knowing that she couldn't just get to work on an empty stomach; she was certain that her path would not be an easy one but she was determined to do it. 

There was no way that she would allow Lord Herman and his bastard daughter ruin her now; she had come too far for that and she knew that should she be sent away that her brother would not welcome her home. 

Her brother had his own plans for her and Amara knew that he would ensure that she remained in the capital no matter what was happening. 

As far as he was concerned, she was her lord husband's problem now and Ammett would reap the rewards by having his sister be a Princess of Dorne. 

"Thank you," Amara said nodding to the lady that had placed food before her, she would not only secure the love of the people but make sure that those who served her would only be loyal to her. 

She would tolerate none that worked for others such as her brother and Ellaria Sand.

***

Walking through the market with only a select number of her ladies, Amara couldn't help but smile as she freely walked around the crowded streets; she felt free again to do as she had back in Fairmarsh. 

The town was like nothing that Amara had ever seen before built from mud and straw and she found herself growing ever more curious about the place that she now called home. 

Ka and Lagos followed behind from a safe distance, both keeping a close eye on the Princess as she wandered from stall to stall; the people slowly starting to realise just who was in their presence. 

Few of the common folk would have seen Amara before her marriage to Prince Oberyn; but word had spread that the beautiful woman before them was someone important. 

Her arrival had been quiet compared to that of the arrival of the Baratheon girl, all wanting to see the child that would one day marry Prince Trystane. 

Stopping at every once in a while, Amara found some very beautiful items including several which she would happily part with and send back to Fairmarsh once her good-sister had been delivered of her child. 

It was hard to believe that it had only been two weeks since she had arrived in the capital; it felt so much longer and so much had happened. 

"This is beautiful," Amara said stopping by a fabric stall, her fingers touching the soft material and a smile on her face; she could make a blanket for her niece or nephew with it. 

While she might not have cared much for Laerra and had fallen out with her brother; Amara knew that she would be expected to send a gift and to not do so would reflect badly on her. 

She wanted her ladies to whisper of the lovely gift that she had prepared for the child, a gift that she had made with her own hands and how kind a gift it was.

A woman stepped forward from behind the stall, her old eyes staring at Amara and then at the gathering that had come with her; she had never seen anyone so finely dressed this deep into the market. 

"How much?" Amara asked curiously, a kind smile on her face as she looked to the woman; she had bought many things on her trip and she was pleased with the items that she had picked up. 

Her ladies had even picked up things that they might need, many buying material for new dresses after seeing how Amara planned on dressing now that she was a Princess. 

She was dressing more according to her station and it would not do for her ladies to look like mere chambermaids; they were the ladies of the court and they had to dress the parts. 

"Seven Silver Stags," the woman replied, she couldn't help but wonder if the woman before her was the new Princess that she had heard about. 

Everyone had heard that some poor lady had been married to Prince Oberyn and most had wondered just what would happen since it was no secret that the Prince held a paramour. 

Money was quickly exchanged and Amara smiled pleased with her buy, she made sure that she had everything before she continued on her way. 

Suddenly a child crashed into Amara's legs almost knocking her to the ground, her ladies gasped behind her and she was sure her guards would be stepping forward to handle this situation. 

Looking down, Amara smiled at the startled little girl that had crashed into her; she crouched down and brushed her fingers gently through her hair before picking up the little girl's doll. 

"She's very pretty," Amara said handing the doll back, the little girl smiled at her as she took the doll back and once she had her dolly back took off running to play with the other children again. 

Amara stood up again and offered her companions a reassuring smile before they continued on their way.