The room stayed silent long after Gelin finished talking.
A stupid plan.
Corleone had already heard the broad strokes from Rolje days ago, but hearing it laid out like this still made him want to roll his eyes. Gelin was probably trying to shield Arianne, washing the Dornish princess clean of any direct hand in her uncle's murder. With [Surgical Skill Lv4] running in the background during the interrogation, Corleone was fairly sure the man wasn't lying outright. Still, the whole scheme was idiotic.
Kill Oberyn, pin it on the Yronwoods, spark a war between the two houses, and force the Yronwoods to hand Quentyn over as a hostage so Arianne's claim stayed secure. It only worked if both Doran and Anders Yronwood were as politically brain-dead as Robb Stark. From what Corleone knew, Dorne was still quiet. No war drums. That meant the actual power players on both sides weren't complete morons.
Except, apparently, for the four Sand Snakes currently standing in this room.
Corleone flicked a glance at them and sighed internally. Yeah. Some people really would fall for it.
Oberyn finally broke the silence, voice low and rough. "So you're saying Arianne had no idea. This was all your idea."
"Yes! Yes!" Gelin nodded hard, desperate. "All of us grew up with Princess Arianne. We couldn't stand it. She's the eldest. She's a Martell. Why the hell should she hand the inheritance to her little brother just because he's fostered with the Yronwoods?"
"We were trying to protect her! We didn't want her to know. We figured we'd tell her after it was done."
Gelin's words basically confirmed Arianne wasn't directly involved. Or at least, she hadn't ordered the hit. She might still be in Sunspear right now, worried sick about her uncle.
Oberyn sat motionless on the edge of the bed. Half his face was lost in shadow. Only his eyes showed—dark, unreadable, burning with something cold and dangerous.
He stayed quiet for a long time.
Then he asked, voice tight, "Damon Sand. My squire. How did you turn him?"
Gelin swallowed. "It was Andrey Dart."
Oberyn's brow furrowed. "Andrey? The quiet one? Dantzel Dart's brother?"
Gelin kept his eyes on the floor. "Andrey told Damon that the Yronwoods were planning to use Quentyn to steal the inheritance. He said if we could make the Martells and the Yronwoods tear each other apart, Princess Arianne's position would be safe. And after it was over… the princess would marry him."
Oberyn's eyes narrowed to slits. "That's it? One empty promise from Andrey Dart and Damon just believed him?"
Gelin nodded frantically, too scared to speak.
Oberyn stared at him like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Then his voice dropped, cold and lethal.
"So Ellaria died… because of a fucking lie?"
Gelin stayed silent. That silence was answer enough.
Oberyn drew a slow breath. The fire popped in the hearth. No one moved.
When he finally spoke again, his voice was steady, but every word landed like a hammer.
"Gelin. You're going back to Sunspear. You're going to tell my brother Doran every single word you just said. Then, in the name of the Prince of Dorne, you're going to put a bounty on Damon Sand and Andrey Dart. I want them brought to me alive if possible. Dead if not."
Gelin's head snapped up, eyes wide with relief. "Yes! Yes, I'll do it!"
Oberyn didn't look at him again. His gaze moved to his daughters.
Obara looked ready to burn the world down. Sarella just looked lost. Nymeria stood perfectly still, face unreadable.
Oberyn's eyes settled on her.
"You go to Yronwood," he said. "Find Anders. Tell him everything that happened here. Make sure he understands the Martells don't want a war with the Yronwoods. Keep him calm until we can sort this mess out."
Nymeria didn't move.
Oberyn frowned. "Nymeria?"
She stayed quiet for another long second. Then she lifted her head and met her father's eyes.
Her voice was soft, almost gentle.
"Father… before I left Sunspear, I ran into Anders Yronwood outside the Water Gardens."
Oberyn went very still.
Nymeria's hands were shaking at her sides, but she kept her chin up.
"I killed him."
The words hung in the air like smoke.
For a moment, no one breathed.
Then Oberyn's eyes went dark.