( Anders POV )
Anders Yronwood wondered simply while admiring the layout of the new Sunspear castle.
It had been a good ten years since he had last visited the supposed capital of Dorne, and, to be fair, he wasn't impressed the first time he came here.
A cramped city, dusty, loud…the opposite of Yronwood where everything was perfectly organized, bustling with life, yet not as chaotic as the seat of House Martell.
Things had changed somewhat, though. The city was no longer as cramped as it was, although the noise was just as annoying, if not more. But at least, this time, there seemed to be an organized chaos compared to more than ten years ago.
The castle had also thoroughly changed, although he had to admit he had been fairly impressed by it all those years ago, except for that old part they called the Sandship.
This time, it was completely remodelled: modern rooms, gardens, running water, decorations…money had not been spared in the slightest and the palace of Sunspear resembled more and more to a kingly residence.
It was in one of these rooms that Anders had been called today. To the largest room of Sunspear castle as a matter of fact, one normally used to house large banquets, which would today host a Dornish Grand Council, the likes of which had not been seen since the rebellion.
Anders Yronwood should be happy. His ward, prince Quentyn, had successfully seized power, in no small part thanks to Anders' actions, as well as that of his allies and resources.
However, he still felt relatively uneasy.
He had hoped to use Prince Quentyn as an extension of house Yronwood in order to better his house's position and influence. But the prince had been slippery. With every move Anders made, Prince Quentyn had countered him.
The alliance between himself and house Fowler, the moves he made to centralize the prince's inventions to Yronwood…every one of his moves came back with the prince striking a blow in return.
As for Cletus, his son, who was travelling with the prince, Anders had hoped that he would at least pacify the prince.
How wrong he was. Cletus didn't really care much for Anders' plans, and did absolutely nothing to prevent Prince Quentyn from hindering their position. And the less said about Archibald, the better.
It seemed the giant had essentially become more loyal to the Prince than to his own house! In due time, he would have to remind them what the Yronwood name means. House Yronwood has no friends, only interests. And these interests, it must use them to gain back what is rightfully theirs: Dorne.
Anders sighed.
He had hoped for a brief moment that he could've done such a move in his lifetime. But it would take several more generations it seems.
He berated himself for not having kept Ynys. It seemed Prince Quentyn had favored her over any other girl, and should he had paid better attention, he could have managed to snatch a very favorable marriage.
Oh well, this time, he had only himself to blame. But the truth was that with the deteriorating situation, House Yronwood needed allies, and Lady Delonne was certainly one of choice, considering Godsgrace's strategic position.
Now, he still had Gwyneth, but wondered if it wasn't a little too late. The prince had obviously shifted all his affections towards the Red Viper's daughter, a decision which revolted him but which he could do nothing about.
However, the prince would need a wife. A proper one, at that. And who better than House Yronwood, the second-most powerful house in Dorne, to provide it? With it, Anders could certainly regain some of his lost prestige and wipe off the smirks off of Trebor Jordayne and Nymella Toland.
Did they think they could just throw their daughters into the prince's bed and expect it to work?
To be honest, Anders had held his breath for a few moments, especially after that one feast at Yronwood when seeing the Prince with Trebor's second daughter. Thankfully, nothing came of it, and Anders could rest easier.
Still, this would be an issue he had to discuss with the prince, and one where he still had all his cards to play.
But there weren't only the issues with the prince that were worrying, there were the ones with his own vassals! The Overlord declaration, as Prince Quentyn put it, was supposed to be signed by every high Dornish lord in order to give weight to it.
Of course, he had signed it, and instructed houses Allyrion and Qorgyle to do the same. When it was finally ratified, Anders had the bad surprise of discovering that two large Dornish houses had refused to sign off on it.
The Ullers were the obvious ones. They despised the Prince for what they saw as having their lord murdered, and Prince Quentyn answered in kind by making their house the last on the list of his priorities, compared to the Gargalens who had regained some amount of standing.
But the other...was house Allyrion. Had Lady Delonne gone mad? What game was she playing? Their houses were linked and Anders had all but ordered her to sign off on that declaration! If she was testing the limits of her loyalty, Anders will know how to remind her who is the larger partner in the alliance, and Prince Quentyn might even be very grateful for it!
He would make sure to voice that problem to her. After all, Lady Delonne was present at the Dornish Grand Council, along with every major lord in Dorne, from Blackmont to Sunspear.
However, Anders noted that only the ruling lords were here, with a few exceptions, which were few and far between.
Prince Quentyn would be presiding over the assembly, at the end of the table, alongside his uncle, Prince Oberyn, and Lord Edric Dayne. Anders was then seated next to the young lord, something he saw as an insult, but had the good taste not to raise his voice too much.
Prince Oberyn, on the other hand, had a curious person next to him, whom Anders did not recognize.
The person was Dornish, to be sure, with his olive skin, but he bore a grey beard and short hair of the same color, contrasting with his green eyes.
Anders did not remember where he'd seen that man, if he had seen him at all.
Then, on seats that lined up the large table, but perpendicularly to the prince, sat the other lords and ladies, no doubt in order of Prince Quentyn's appreciation of them.
On the left, Lady Nymella Toland was the closest, followed by Lord Quentyn Qorgyle, Lady Delonne Allyrion, Lady Larra Blackmont, Lord Dagos Manwoody and Lord Wyland Wyl; and on the right, Lady Franklyn Fowler was the closest on the great table, followed by Lord Trebor Jordayne, Lord Daeron Vaith, Lord Tremond Gargalen and Lady Lina Uller.
Surprisingly, no others were present, despite several of the participants coming to Sunspear with their wives, siblings, cousins or children. Even Prince Quentyn's paramour was not here, which intrigued Anders somewhat.
The calling of the Grand Dornish Council for such a trivial formality as confirming Prince Quentyn as Prince of Dorne seemed a bit much for him.
Perhaps was Prince Quentyn testing the loyalty of his new vassals? Would those that did not show up be sidelined? Anyhow, Anders would not take this chance. Prince Quentyn seemed to have lined up a path for a new Dorne, and it would be incredibly stupid for Anders to throw away years of planning for a little pride.
Everyone had understood that.
But there was something more to all of this.
Anders nervously tapped the table with his fingers, waiting for the Council to open.
He looked to Prince Quentyn, who was discussing something with Lord Dayne. The prince was wearing a regal attire, not the usual simplistic clothing he usually favored. The garb, belt, coat and even the sword were richly decorated with the sun-and-spear arms of House Martell.
A way of reminding everyone who was in charge, no doubt. The sword at his side was the famous spoil of war taken from the corpse of Tywin Lannister, the Valyrian steel object attracting everyone's eye.
Indeed, Valyrian steel weapons were almost unheard of in Dorne. No great house had such weapon, the closest being the Daynes, who had Dawn, but it sword was made of star-metal, not Valyrian steel. And for all their raiding, no Dornish house ever managed to get their hands on a Valyrian steel blade.
The Martells being the first to do so was therefore a show of force which further reinforced Prince Quentyn's power and legitimacy. As for the name he gave to his blade, this was still widely debated, but Anders didn't bet with the others.
Finally, the prince cleared his throat and asked everyone for silence, which quickly fell over the assembly.
"My lords and ladies, I thank you all for coming to Sunspear on such short notice," Prince Quentyn's voice carried through the room, "As you may know, there have been changes in the leadership of House Martell, and with these changes comes a lot of uncertainty. I am here to dispel any such uncertainty of what is to come."
"I think the recalling of the fleet to Sunspear is a good indication of your intentions, my prince." Nymella Toland spoke first.
Anders noted that the Dornish Dragon had spoken with a tint of annoyance in her voice. Had something occurred which bent the relations between those two? For all Anders could remember, Lady Toland had been quite swayed by the prince. Was she playing a game?
"Indeed, it is, Lady Toland," the prince acquiesced, "As you probably all know, Dorne is currently facing a crisis. We have cut all ties with the current crowned heads in King's Landing, but we are running out of options."
"We could always sever ties with everyone and declare Dornish independence!" Lord Daeron Vaith launched, earning a couple of approvals around the room.
"My lords and ladies, the present situation is more complicated than this," Prince Quentyn continued, "Dorne is defensible, yes. But our trade has and will suffer in the coming years despite our best efforts to produce the products we need independently.
Most notably, until a way is found to optimize the canals of the Greenblood, we need grain, be it from the Stormlands, Reach or Free Cities. However, we are at war with the formers, and the latter will soon likely be in turmoil."
Some lords slumped back into their seats.
"But most of all," the prince continued, "you all have learned of the hidden Targaryen prince."
A lot of murmurs filled the room. The news had spread like wildfire, of course.
"What is to say he cannot call himself king, crown himself and turn his dragon on Dorne?" the prince asked, "We have survived the dragons, that is true, but at great cost. I do not wish to see Dornish cities burn.
Now, there are other dragons, beyond the Narrow Sea, and Daenerys Targaryen holds them. She has the support of a few sellsword companies and the former Kingsguard Ser Barristan Selmy, true, but she is heading west. Westeros is surely in her sights. Would Dorne fare better against three dragons?"
The rest of the lords contemplating Dornish secession seemed vanquished, and the prince took advantage of this.
"No, my lords and ladies. We cannot allow Dorne to suffer any longer. This is the perfect time for Dorne to grow stronger.
By bringing Daenerys Targaryen here along with her three dragons, and place her on the throne, we will gain an invaluable ally to defend us against any of our enemies, and will allow us to claim a grand debt owed to us."
Anders read a few sheets of the Ghost Hill declaration, and expected the prince to say more of the same. However, Prince Quentyn surprised him as he had a map brought out, and laid in front of the assembly.
The room went silent and several people gasped.
"This is the Dorne I intend to rule over." Prince Quentyn smiled.
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