73
A/N: 'Small time skip' of a year and a half to age up a little more and get some stuff rolling.
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198 AC
Dorne - Yronwood
Cletus Yronwood
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"How many?" My older Brother and Lord of Yronwood ask me as we both look out of the window and at the filled castle yard and even the tents outside the yard.
"All of our men and a few other Houses sent their entire force, only the Dayne's and the 'Targaryens of Dorne' did not send anyone." I nearly spit just at the thought of a Targaryen being directly over Dorne.
Damn, freaks.
"I asked how many." I clear my throat and turn away from the window as I run through my memories.
"Ten Thousand at the very least, there has not been a full count as of yet with some stragglers still making their way here." Dorne is divided into three, with us being one-third and the Daynes and Targaryens having the other thirds a piece.
It's not the best but we have made do with worse numbers before against the Valyrian freaks.
"It's not enough." I turn on my Brother and look at him with narrowed eyes, this kind of talk is why I have long thought I was more fit than him to lead our people.
"Why do you say such a thing?" I ask while slowly coming to terms with what I will have to do, what I will do for my people's future.
If he can not lead us for he fears the freaks who wish to rule over us, then I will have to lead us.
"This is why." He holds up a small ravens scroll and I quickly take it not paying any mind to his annoyed look.
Reading over it my heart clenches before a fury builds up inside of me and I clench my fists tearing the letter.
"Cowards." I grit out as I feel like I ate a sour lemon straight from the lemon tree.
"We would not even be able to launch an attack into the marches with the Dayne's supporting the House Targaryen of Dorne. We both know Aerys does not like sitting in Sunspear and would rather return to Dragonstone or Kingslanding. He aims to let House Dayne take over as the next ruler of Dorne... but not as a Prince or Princess." I grit my teeth, the Daynes want to be the Lords of Dorne under the Dragons, the damn rats!
"We can not let this happen..." I mutter with an idea coming to mind.
"It would be best if we slowly dispersed our number peacefully and went to the negotiation table we have been putting off. They have not taken it as an insult and instead used it as a time to whisper amongst one another in our absence." I nod along but only for the later part of what he has said, we do not need to lessen our number but instead grow it.
We need to strike the Dayne's before they can rise above us and we have to go to our knees for them as they suck off the Dragon's cock. We can not let that happen, we had to go to our knees for the whore Nymeria all that time ago and I won't see us going to our knees for Dragons.
Looking at my brother's worried look I smile and pat his shoulder knowing what I must do, now more than ever.
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198 AC
Dorne - Starfall
Aerion Targaryen
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"Are they stupid?" I can't help but ask earning a chuckle from my oldest Son who is sitting in on the 'war meeting'.
A quick slap around the head from his Mother and a harsh glare from her shut the little man up pretty quickly though. Even if everyone else found it quite amusing as well, it's not 'proper' to laugh at a meeting such as this.
"They seem to have completely ignored the size of your Dragons... they have weapons prepared but they are..." I shake my head at Lord Dayne's words while feeling like someone is trying to make fun of me.
The new Lord of Yronwood, Cletus Yronwood, is a damn fool if he thinks his scorpions will hurt Drogon or Moonfyre. The Yronwoods looked to be posturing to invade the marches in protest or some shit for the death of their 'beloved Prince Martell'. Instead of pushing forward and walking into the 'small' ambush I had prepared with Stormlanders and Reachmen they instead turned tail and attacked their own people.
Damn, idiots.
"I mean seriously, why are they attacking High Hermitage?" I can't help but find their actions to be completely nonsensical.
Aerys clears his throat and I look up at my nephew who I flew over to Sunspear to pick up for this meeting just yesterday. He looks a bit guilty and I almost palm my forehead knowing he somehow caused this. All my prep into baiting the Yronwoods to follow through on their threat and get annihilated has gone up in smoke and I am left recovering because of presumably something he did.
"Do we need to clear the room?" I ask Aerys directly and he shakes his head after looking around.
Half the Dayne family is in here, so either he doesn't care if they know he somehow got their branch family's seat of power attacked or they already know. I never have been one to focus my spies on my family matters, just enough to know the comings and goings and that they are being safe. I trust them enough to let them hang themselves so to speak, so I have no idea what he has done beyond knowing he has a good friendship with Lord Dayne.
"We have been floating around the idea of making House Dayne the next Lords of Dorne." I pause hearing the words and how they contradict what I thought was going to happen.
I shake my head in confusion before looking between Lord Dayne and my Nephew.
"What's going on here?" I ask in a low voice wondering if Aerys got seduced by a man... it would explain why he has no children thus far.
"It's simply not possible to annex Dorne just because I have Martell blood, they would rebel every other week. A real Dornish House needs to be over Dorne as they will not accept a 'Sand Dragon' ruling over them on behalf of the crown. I have been talking with my Father and Lord Dayne to make House Dayne the First true Lord of Dorne and once and for all put Dorne to rest having it firmly under a strong and influential Dornish House who will serve the crown faithfully." Aerys shifts noticeably and Lord Dayne gulps as they both watch me for a reaction.
I have seen these looks before... when one of my kids wants something.
Why does it seem like they are asking me for permission?!
"What has Daeron said?" I ask directly and Aerys sighs making me scrunch up my brows.
"He approves... my Mother on the other hand..." I purse my lips as I know the Martell woman is likely wroth about her 'birth family' being completely gutted.
"The plan is to marry the next Lord Martell who is a ward of the crown currently to my Daughter. We can secure an alliance of blood with the future Lord of Sunspear this way and with the Yronwoods being in open conflict with us... we are hoping they will not be a problem in the future." They want them all burned out root and stem, then no one can oppose Dayne rule over Dorne.
"The Martells will grow and want revenge for this in the future, they will learn history and always see you as opportunistic backstabbers." My Wife speaks the exact words on my mind and it gets a stiff nod from Lord Dayne.
"Aye." I snort shaking my head at this 'power play' that benefits the whole of Westeros with Dorne joining the fold but also sets up for many future Dornish civil wars.
"I can deal with the Yronwoods, I already have men behind them in the Boneway that are cutting off their escape back to their castle. They are in the open hoping to get a lucky shot on a dragon and they will burn for it. But this does not solve the distant problem of House Martell being a thorn in your Houses side. It will be like the Starks and Boltons, they will hate you and will want nothing more than what they feel they have 'lost'." All this because some prick couldn't move on and accept a Royal match that was not of my blood. "Also I will be appointing a new Lord of Yronwood." I swiftly 'steal' a key castle of Dorne that guards against the Stormlands and has the second biggest army after House Martell.
Though I expect that to change after I burn that army to ash...
It will still be a powerful seat to have... I am not sure if I want to give it to a child of my own though. Maybe someone else, I am thinking a Valyrian House... maybe one of Daemon's boys could do the job?
Whoever has the castle will be caught up in the thick of Dornish politics and will have a lot of problems with the Boneway and the Dornish marches. If a new Valyrian House can bloom there they could grow powerful or they could crumble and die. There are many options and the board is chaotic right now with the way things are moving around.
But honestly, I just want this all nipped in the bud and to focus my sights on bigger fish.
My strongest trading ally in Qarth has gotten too big for his britches and ripped me off thinking I would not find out. I would not be so pissed if it was not that this is the third time he has done this and now I HAVE to do something in response or my trading network could crumble. If others learn of this and think they can do the same... well I won't let it come to that, I will stomp out this Dornish problem and then head over to Essos to deal with my 'Dear Friend'.
I might be a bit sad House Targaryen is not stealing Dorne and erasing House Martell but I also am not that surprised by this. House Dayne will do good and they will also take all the Dornish hate that would otherwise be directed at House Targaryen. This will work out for the best and if another civil war kicks up in the far future I or my descendants can just fly in and grab up an opportunity presenting itself.
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198 AC
Dorne - High Hermitage
Daenerys Targaryen
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Drogon trilling under me warms my heart as we fly over the army beneath us, the army we will burn to ash. But my heart also is worried about my Son Aemon who Aerion made fly with us, not to do battle but to watch from the sky. He wants our Son to see the power of Dragons with his own eyes as he will one day have to use it himself.
That day might be quickly approaching as well... Essos is calling after all.
"Dracarys!" I shout at Drogon and he dives down with a roar as I push aside all of my worries and get absorbed into the moment.
Dragons tucked in wings snap outwards and he opens his maw as he angles himself to fly overhead of the army. His dark black flames laced with red just like Balerion's flames bathes the men below in certain death. Moonfyre passes over the rows of Scorpions shooting steel bolts at Drogon and burning them all to ash with her silver flames.
Muffled screams and the smell of burnt flesh quickly fill the air and I find myself no longer worrying about anything as I lean closer to Drogon and feel the heat wafting off of him as he scorches the enemies before us.
As he always has, and always will.