Tyrosh

6th Moon, 259AC

The court has been in great uproar in recent times.

Rumors of a possible royal marriage have been circulating left and right. And if we add to that the news of Princess Rhaella's return to the capital after several years of living in the southernmost kingdom...

The announcement of Prince Jaehaerys had sent the court into a flurry of gossip, rumor-mongering, and endless bounds of curiosity. Lords, ladies, knights, and servants spend hours theorizing each day.

There are those who say that the marriage will be between Princess Rhaella and Prince Doran Martell. A great candidate in the eyes of some, the name of the Dornish prince is well known throughout Westeros, even among the commoners. Who hasn't heard of the genius who graduated from the Citadel in just three years with enough links to become a master? Of his many innovations and inventions? From innocuous toys to intricate machines like the printing press, the prince is the most talented inventor of the century, possibly even the millennium. The courtiers know that well, just as they know how rich he is.

There are those who say that the prince's businesses provide him with a greater income than the Great Houses. There are also those who say that he is as rich as the Lannisters or Tyrells, those rumors are dismissed by the more educated but there is no doubt that the prince amassed a great fortune at an early age using only his ingenuity.

That raises the question: How rich will he be twenty or thirty years from now? He may not currently be as rich as the Lannisters or Tyrells, but in the future...

There is no doubt that Prince Doran Martell is a great suitor, but not even all of his virtues can replace his Dornish heritage. And that is a problem for many, the marriage between a Martell and a Targaryen a few generations ago started a series of conflicts that have not yet been resolved to this day. Anti-Dornish sentiment isn't what it used to be but it still thrives north of the Marches. Which is why Princess Rhaella`s fostering was such controversial news for many years.

Especially in the Reach, many have heard Lord Luthor say publicly that the princess would have been better off in the Reach, the land of knights and flowers. Emboldened by the loud opinions of their liege, many Reach lords and knights went public with their own opinions. All of which were... Rude to say the least.

Lord Caswell said at a party in Highgarden that if the crown prince wanted to prostitute his daughter so badly he might as well have sent her to the Iron Islands. Lord Rowan said that he would rather marry his daughter to a peasant than see her with a Dornishman.

Needless to say, all of this reignited the flames of the Dorne-Reach rivalry. These rumors reached the ears of the Dornishmen, and they did not take it well. Dorne's relationship with its neighboring kingdoms is at a lowest since Dorne joined the Seven Kingdoms.

The belief that a marriage between the Crown and house Martell could start another war is quite popular among the nobility, some say it is an exaggeration but many agree.

The fact that Princess Dorna Martell decided to accompany Princess Rhaella further increased the popularity of these rumors. The Princess of Dorne is a figure well known to the court, the mysterious and cunning princess has not left Dorne in over a decade and is now accompanying princess Rhaella back to the capital... That solidified the rumors of a possible Targaryen-Martell marriage in the eyes of many.

Those rumors reached the ears of the princesses even before they reached the capital.

Princess Dorne was amused by all the fuss.

Princess Rhaella, on the other hand, was upset. Upset and angry

`Just how dare they?! How dare he!`

Rhaella used to have a good relationship with her parents, her mother especially. But when they decided to send her to the other side of the continent without even asking her opinion, that relationship turned sour. Oh, Rhaella isn't upset about being sent to Dorne, on the contrary, she loves Sunspear and her hosts. What bothered her, and still bothers, is how they made such an important decision without even consulting her.

They decided to send her thousands of thousands away, to a very different kingdom from the one she grew up in, without consulting her, without even informing her about it. She still remembers coming back from a trip to Dragonstone only to find all of her belongings stored in various chests and the news that she will be leaving for Dorne the next day to be fostered.

When she left, they told her that it was for her own sake, that Dorne would be the perfect place for her to become the princess they always knew she would be. Bullshit, she knows the real reason. Her grandfather had been upsetting many of his vassals with his decisions, House Martell was one of the houses that was aggravated the most. Aegon V's resolution of the almost war between Stormlands and Dorne angered most of Dorne, the king and crown prince thought that sending the only daughter (at the time, Alyssa had not yet been born) of House Targaryen to be foster to Sunspear would appease to the Dornishmen.

One less hostile kingdom, that was the plan. And it worked, it had been years since a Targaryen princess had been fostered, so many saw it as a great honor. Rhaella's good reputations only sweeten the deal.

Years later, just as suddenly, her father again makes a monumental decision without consulting her. Dorne became her home, house Martell her family.

`How dare he?!` The princess frowns and clenches her fists. `Does he think that I am a puppet that he can control? A servant he can command left and right? I am Rhaella Targaryen, of the blood and seed of Aegon the Conqueror. I am no one's property!`

"Rhaella, remember: Don't hesitate to come to me if you need anything." Dorna looked at her seriously.

"Ah- yes, of course grandmother. I will have that in mind." Princess Martell's words snapped Rhaella out of her musings, looking around she realized it was time to disembark.

"The carriage has already been brought, and it seems we have a party waiting for us. Let's not make them wait too long."

Rhaella nodded and followed the older princess out of the ship. As soon as they got out on deck the stench of Kings Landing tripled. Even with the sea breeze to soften the smell, the princess had to suppress a grimace.

`I definitely didn't miss this smell. Gods, why didn't Grandfather start a project to redesign the capital? More than a capital, this place looks like a pigsty, it certainly smells like one.`

"You have arrived, sister!"

Rhaella looks at the pier, in front of a group of knights is a young teenager with physical characteristics very similar to hers. Aerys Targaryen, at fifteen, is a handsome lad, with his purple eyes and gold-silver long hair, is without a doubt the most eligible bachelor in the capital.

Aerys is considered the perfect prince by many courtiers, he is charismatic, generous and very active. One can find him at all major events in the capital, be it a banquet honoring some lord or a quiet party at some rich merchant's mansion. The prince knows how to charm a crowd and have them eat out of his hand. He likes music, dancing, and socializing.

But behind that image hides a vain, proud and very insecure boy. Aerys loves to hear praises, he often exaggerates or makes up stories of his greatness which his lickspittles and flatterers listen carefully and applaud at every pause.

Rhaella knows that well, she knows Aerys better than even her parents. She knows how cruel and selfish he can be, she knows how his jealousy makes him truly unpleasant and grotesque (she still remembers his reactions to any praise she received, in public he was a good brother but in private he always found something to criticize, he was frankly mean and cruel).

She also knows that Aerys cannot be underestimated, after all he still is a Targaryen and the second in the line to be king.

"Hello, dear brother." She smiles sweetly and kisses him on each cheek (As the good sister everyone expects her to be, a role she mastered before learning how to read). Aerys moves his head slightly and the first kiss lands closer to her brother's lips than Rhaella is comfortable with. Having seen the malicious shine in his eyes, she placed the second kiss far from his lips.

Aerys's eyes darken for a second and he glares at her.

"I seem to remember that it is protocol to introduce yourself when you meet someone for the first time. Or is it that the young prince forgot his manners due to the excitement of seeing his beloved sister again after all these years?" Dorna Martell's sharp words catch the attention of the siblings.

Rhaella sees several Martell knights sneer, she also notices that her brother`s cheeks reddened with embarrassment.

Aerys clears his throat and smiles brightly.

"Princess Dorna Martell, a true honor meeting you." He kisses the hand of the princess who still looks at him with some disdain.

"Certainly, I pressum Jaehaerys and Shaera are too busy to welcome their own daughter."

"My parents are preparing an appropriate welcome for you, my lady." Aerys's smile falters, but he doesn't show his annoyance or irritation in any obvious way.

"Oh really?" The Dornish princess doesn't seem at all convinced, her tone is flat and unimpressed.

Aerys shifts uncomfortably from one leg to the other before turning his gaze to the carriage waiting a few dozen yards away.

"Shall we?" He points toward the carriage. "I'm sure you'd rather clean up and rest before tonight's banquet."

"Are you telling me I smell?"

Dorna's question stunned Aerys.

"I-I no! Of course not!" The prince blushes even more. "I'll go talk to the captain of the guard!" He quickly excuses himself and almost runs away.

Rhaella watches as her brother walks away and stifles her laughter.

"You did not go easy on him, grandmother."

"He is almost a man, and a prince. If he can't handle this, how will he handle all of Westeros?"

Rhaella doesn't know how to respond, she looks back at her brother, who is talking to a guard in the distance, and ponders the words of the Dornish princess.

`He will be the king one day...`

The thought is unsettling.

***

6th Moon, 259 BC

Tyrosh is a port city of Essos. It is located on an island a few miles away from the infamous Stepstones, and just like any other port city in the area it always had problems with pirates.

The city is home to many wealthy families, making it a highly desirable target for pirates and thieves. Merchants love Tyrosh, as the city values ​​mercantile arts more than martial arts and is home to some of the richest and most powerful merchants in the Known World, notably Alequo Adarys.

Alequo Adarys is a rich and powerful man, but in Tyrosh's grand political scheme his wealth and power matter little, as there are much richer and more well-connected men in the city. What Alequo stands out for is his smooth talk, called the Silvertongue of Tyrosh, there are those who say that he would even be capable of selling water to a mermaid.

That same smooth talk is what convinced the Archon of Tyrosh to open the city's gates to two sellsword companies of questionable fame.

A few days ago the fleet of Nine Eyes, an infamous pirate, besieged the island. Most of the islanders' warships were destroyed and the few that remained were used to defend the port.

The Archon of Tyrosh was in the process of writing a letter to a Magister of Pentos, a friend of his, when Alequo told him that he is friends with two Sellsword Company captains, one Sammarro Saan and one Xhobar Qhoqua. Both companies have ships at their disposal, so they would be perfect for fighting pirates.

The Archon hesitated at first, as both captains have dark reputations. Samarro comes from an infamous family of Lys, a family known for its cruelty and dark traditions (Some say that every boy has to open a man's chest and rip out his heart to be considered a man).

Xhobar is even worse, because while Samarro comes from a dangerous family he himself did not commit any horrible crimes (that are known). The so-called Ebon Prince, on the other hand, is known for murdering his sister, raping his nephew (a child of 12 years) before being exiled from the Summer Isles and many more heinous crimes.

Alequo convinced the Archon by telling him that his friend's fleet would take over a moon to arrive, more than enough time for Nine Eyes to take the city, while his friends could reach the city in a few days.

With Tyrosh's future hanging in the balance, the Archon decided to trust his friend, and sent letters to both Sellsword Companies hiring their services.

That was a mistake, a horrible one.

As soon as they entered the city gates, the men from both Sellsword Companies began to raid the city. They killed and they raped, no one was spared.

The Archon was in his mansion when the chaos started, by the time he realized what was happening it was too late to do anything. He let 18,000 men into his city, all armed to the teeth. The city guard couldn't do anything. With the Nine Eyes fleet blockading the port and nearly twenty thousand mercenaries looting the city, Tyrosh's future was sealed.

He was captured and his family slaughtered, the cries of his wife and children still echoing in his head.

"A-Alequo?!" Two mercenaries dragged the Archon into a room, where his supposed friend was sitting on a throne. "You- you bastard! You planned this! Traitor!"

Alequo grind and mocked him.

"Traitor? How ludicrous." He got up from his throne and walked over to him. "I didn't betray you, after you never had my loyalty."

"That was cruel, Alequo." A man with silver hair and lilac eyes walked into the room. "He trusted you, for him you were his friend. You should know the worst pain in the world goes beyond the physical. Even further beyond any other emotional pain one can feel. It is the betrayal of a friend."

"What is your point Samarro?"

Samarro just laughs.

"None, I was just telling a fact. That is all."

"A fact?"

"You are a cruel bastard."

Alequo grins and answers.

"You are one to talk."

"Are you finished, ladies?" Another man enters the room, one with night-dark skin and curly hair braided into thick braids. "We still have work to do."

"Tyrosh is ours, Xhobar. We can rel-"

"Tyrosh is only the beginning, I want my islands."

"Aye, aye."