In the Beginning

Oberyn Martell was no stranger to sexual desire. So, when he found himself wanting Lyanna Stark, he was not surprised. Why wouldn't he want the She-Wolf? She was young, and beautiful, and better yet, she was interesting.

Her wildness was not obvious during their first meeting. She had not looked much like a She-Wolf then. She was dressed in an elegant and no doubt expensive gown, and her long hair was carefully pulled from her face in a very Northern style. She had curtsied fluidly to Elia and Rhaegar, smiled politely during introductions, and then left with her brothers once the official greetings were over.

Oberyn didn't spend much time thinking about her after their first meeting. In his mind she was just another delicate, proper lady, as nearly all women north of Dorne were. She was beautiful, there was no denying that, but delicacy and propriety were not things that Oberyn wanted in bed regardless of how lovely a face came with them.

Therefore, his second meeting with Lyanna came as a very pleasant surprise.

Oberyn had always enjoyed fierceness in those he took to his bed. It made everything so much more interesting. So, when he first saw her beating her younger brother rather spectacularly during a sparring match, he found himself wanting her.

He was pleased to see that she was just as lovely in a tunic and breeches as she was in expensive finery.

He found himself offering to spar with the youngest Stark children, and while her brother eyed his spear warily, Lyanna almost immediately got into a fighting stance.

She was brave, and beautiful, and fierce. It wasn't any wonder that he wanted her in his bed. The problem was that he couldn't think of a way to get her there, so he decided to get to know her better in hopes of charming her.

While she didn't last long sparring against him, she had obvious natural talent. So, he offered to spar with her again the next day, and again the day after that. Her brothers were suspicious, and Robert Baratheon, the fool, decided to forbid her from sparring altogether, but Lyanna accepted. She was thrilled that someone other than her brothers was willing to spend time training her. The fact that Oberyn was famous for his fighting abilities made her even more excited.

Oberyn knew desire well, but as he began to know Lyanna, he found his desire taking a form he was unfamiliar with. He definitely still wanted her in his bed, but he wanted other things as well. He wanted to know what she looked like in the morning and how long it took for her to wake up. He wanted to introduce her to his daughters. They would adore her, he was sure. He wanted to take her to Dorne and give her the freedom she spoke of so longingly. He found himself wanting her in more ways than he could count. He wanted her smiles, her looks, her touches, and her trust.

He wanted to kill Rhaegar for upsetting both her and Elia with that idiotic flower stunt.

And then came his most surprising want of all.

Oberyn Martell wanted to marry Lyanna Stark.