-Chapter 72-
-POV Tyene-
As I watched the royal couple walk away to the astonishment of everyone, especially to the great horror of my father and the Dornish faction that brought all their support to the king's half-brother, I felt a small lump in my stomach and lowered my eyes in the face of the questioning and accusing glances from Aegon, my sisters, my father, and the rest.
"You knew," Aegon said, almost mad with rage.
I wanted to deny it, but Nymeria said, "Of course she knew, but I guess she had a reason for not telling us sooner."
"He threatened me."
"With what? You are my daughter; a war with Dorne is not in his interest. For now, his grip on the realm is too fresh and too fragile for him to attempt anything."
"No, he cornered me and almost killed me, but Arianne dissuaded him," I said, removing the shawl that protected my neck, and everyone could see what I was trying to hide—a huge bruise that spread across the entire surface of my neck.
"I don't understand what happened then. Start from the beginning and tell everything that happened in detail," my father said, growing increasingly furious but his anger moving away from me.
-Flash-Back-
"Look at all these bitches in heat greeting him as if he was the second coming of Azor Ahai himself," I said in a slightly disdainful tone, watching from a distance as the king returned from his hunt in the kingswood, perched on his enormous direwolf.
"Don't be bitter because you won't have that man. You know very well he is the ultimate prize for all the young girls in the kingdom, and you have long since stopped being one," Arianne said in a somewhat mocking tone.
"As have you," I remarked, smiling innocently.
She smiled and then said, "Yes, but I am Princess Arianne Martell."
I rolled my eyes and then said, "He doesn't seem to have been seduced by the prospect of a marriage with Princess Arianne Martell, maybe because he doesn't like to come in second."
She laughed and then said, "It's because I haven't done my little number on him. Once I show him what we Dornish women can do, he will be forced to acknowledge that there is only one possible choice to be by his side."
"And our cousin Aegon?"
"What about him?"
"Have we completely stopped wanting to place him on the throne to avenge the Lannisters?"
"The Lannisters are Lannisters. Once they make a mistake, we will take that moment to kill them, using all the influence I have over my husband. As for Aegon, it pains me a bit for him, but for the good of us all, I think he should consider giving up because in a war against this..." she said, pointing to the dragons and the 5-meter-tall direwolf.
"...We have no chance of conquering the Seven Kingdoms. At best, we will keep Dorne, but we will unnecessarily make our people suffer."
Although I was upset that we couldn't make a Martell a king, I recognized Arianne's point of view. She was right; maybe before the dragons hatched, we still had a slim chance to find what I was looking for, but now all hope of finding another solution was indeed dead. All we could do was gather as much influence with the king as possible and then 'advise' him to do what was in our interest.
"We won't get anywhere without it being perceived as a threat by the Lannisters, and they are the only ones who have the king's ear," I said.
"Then let's go through a man who does and who is a Lannister," Arianne said.
"I will not sleep with a Lannister," I said categorically. There are limits even I will not cross, and Tyrion Lannister is one of them.
"I'm not asking you to sleep with that dwarf. I'm simply asking you to make him dream, to keep him constantly hungry, so we can place a tight leash around his little neck."
"Essence of soul flower."
"Hmm, but don't get caught, and don't use it beyond a few drops, otherwise..."
"He'll have trouble raising his little soldier, and he could well die on the spot. I remind you, I'm the one who taught you everything you know about poisons," I said, almost indignantly.
"Shush, be quiet, he's coming this way," I said, seeing the king approach us.
We both bowed and curtsied, looking at the ground until he passed us without even glancing in our direction.
"I don't know what that Reach whore did to him, but it must be really divine for him not to even cast a glance in our direction nearly half a year after her death," I whispered as he moved away from us.
She shot me a glare, and I rolled my eyes because it was just a joke, nothing more.
We were about to go join my father when a guard surprised me by saying, "The king invites you to his private chambers, Lady Tyene, as well as you, Princess Arianne."
She raised a provocative eyebrow and said nothing, following the guard. I did the same after rolling my eyes, and we headed to the king's private chambers.
-End of Flash-Back-