-Chapter 180-
-3rd day of the 11th moon of the year 300 AC-
-POV Doran Martell-
Very early in the morning, I heard the roar of a dragon raging in the skies.
I frowned, inspecting its color through the window of my room.
I immediately understood who my visitor was, but what was incomprehensible to me was the reason for this visit, especially why now, when half of Dorne was calling for war due to the successive offenses the Emperor had made against House Martell.
'Coming here is either an act of madness and arrogance or a sign of his confidence and a gesture of goodwill between us,' I thought as I watched the dragon calmly land in a courtyard of the castle.
"Hotah, come help me," I said, seeing my faithful guard enter my room.
He promptly obeyed, helping me into my wheelchair and pushing me toward the father of my grandchildren.
'Let's hope everything goes well.'
---
-POV MC-
"Come on, get down from there, don't be so scared, you have dragon blood too, at least I hope so," I said to Quentyn Martell, who was on the verge of soiling his pants.
He looked embarrassed and then carefully descended along Rhaegal's wings, as if afraid of stepping on a lion's tail by mistake.
Once two steps from the ground, he made a slight jump and landed on his feet, relieved to no longer be on Rhaegal's back, who then lightly nudged Quentyn's back to unbalance him.
I raised an eyebrow, surprised by this, as it was the first time I had seen this playful side of Rhaegal, and I was happy because it was a sign of his intelligence.
I smiled as I saw Quentyn fall forward before extending a hand to him and saying:
"Rhaegal is a bit playful today. If he's playing with you, it means he must like you."
Quentyn took my hand, slightly skeptical, before finally getting up and then said:
"Thank you."
I nodded and then he added, "Thank you for everything."
"It's nothing," said Quentyn.
"You could have had me killed directly, but you didn't, and today you offer me what I've always wanted and thought I couldn't have with Arianne," I said.
"The throne of Sunspear," said Quentyn.
"There is no longer a throne of Sunspear. Dorne is no longer a principality and the title of Prince has been revoked. You are now a Duke, don't forget that," I said.
"I won't," said Quentyn.
"Very well, as long as you remember your loyalty, then we will remain very good friends, and who knows, maybe you could become the father of the future empress and grandfather of the future emperor," I said, joking lightly.
His face instantly lit up, already imagining himself as the most powerful man after the emperor, and that was all I needed to keep Dorne in check by placing what was now one of my attack dogs at the head of House Nymeros Martell.
'Garth did a good job terrorizing him by playing on all kinds of deprivations. Once I rebuilt him piece by piece, he became my puppet and will be for the rest of his days,' I thought, looking at Quentyn, who had been with me for almost a year and had been kept hidden in case Arianne disappointed me.
'Which eventually happened,' I thought, slightly bitter at the thought of my former wife.
'I almost fell for her, in every sense of the word.'
"Your Majesty the Emperor," said Doran Martell, my father-in-law, whom I had not met on many occasions.
I nodded and then greeted Arianne's father by saying, "Duke Doran."
The title irked him; I saw it in his eyes, but he kept a calm smile and then gestured for me to follow him after nodding to his eldest son, whom he hadn't seen since childhood.
---
-POV Doran Martell-
Seeing Quentyn again finally confirmed something for me: he was no longer my son nor the boy I had left with the Yronwoods. Today, nothing was left of that child. He was my blood, but everything about his demeanor said he was the Emperor's loyal dog.
'He had prepared his move a long time ago, in case Arianne messed up, he always had Quentyn, whom he was training to make Dorne a submissive and docile territory, and that's what she did. She ruined everything we had built over decades for Tyene,' I thought.
"What have you come to do in Dorne, Your Majesty?" I said after we had walked in complete silence for a few minutes.
He didn't answer immediately but said, "You must hate me terribly."
"Why would I hate you? You've done nothing wrong," I said.
"Whatever I do, it will always be justified," he declared serenely before adding, "but can you calmly accept the events of the past few years?"
I took a few seconds to think before saying:
"I find it extremely difficult to do so. First, Oberyn's death was a heartbreak for me because I deeply loved my brother, and the future showed that you were right. As a brother, I could never accept his death, whatever the reasons and motivations you had for sending him into the arena, but as a ruler..."
'Oberyn went too far. He fought for an illusion and clearly opposed the Emperor. I could have done the same with my vassals,' I was forced to acknowledge inwardly.
"And for Arianne?"
"For Arianne, it's a different matter. I am not at all angry about your punishment; she deserved it. She forgot her place as a wife, her place as an empress, and her place as the mother of the future emperor. She is solely responsible for her misfortunes, and I am grateful to you for not executing her like Queen Bellegere," I said, meaning every word; I didn't want to risk lying to him.
Many said he had magical powers. Having witnessed him break a person's neck from about ten meters away, I didn't want to risk being dishonest with him without knowing if he truly had magic that could discern truth from lies.
He said nothing, so I continued, saying, "Even Quentyn disobeyed my orders by going to Astapor to woo the Queen..."
"The Empress... Daenerys Targaryen, Queen of the Bay of Dragons, of Astapor, Meereen, and Yunkai, has surrendered and agreed to become my wife. She will henceforth be known as the Empress of Westeros, Daenerys."
"Congratulations," I said before continuing, clearing my mind of all distracting thoughts, "I am not angry either about imprisoning Quentyn. No, what disgusts me is that you had my brother's daughters tortured."
"You gave me your consent," he said in a neutral and calm tone, as if discussing the weather.
I frowned and said in a solemn tone:
"I didn't know you would try to take revenge on them."
"You knew what I intended to do, and you also knew you had no choice," he said, turning to me and fixing me with a gaze that went from indifferent to completely icy.
'Yes, I knew, and I chose my son because Ellaria chose her daughter, but I didn't think he would torture them. I thought he would simply use them as hostages.'
"My vassals won't accept this..."
I was abruptly interrupted by his voice, still as calm but sharp:
"You no longer have vassals. I have abolished the chain of vassalage. As long as one of my vassals shows the slightest sign of treason, I will have them executed. If they are unhappy, they can come to court to voice their grievances, and I will take their opinions into account in my final decision."
I fell silent, frustrated by his words, and he added:
"I have too much respect for you to have tortured your innocent nieces. I am simply punishing Tyene and Ellaria with their guilt. I am telling you this so that you understand we are one and that I am not a tyrant."
"Thank you," I managed to say a few seconds later.
"What is the real purpose of your visit?" I said.
"I am here because I need to organize my succession."
"You are young."
"I know, but I can't know when I will meet my end, and a threat is approaching from the North."
"I've heard about these White Walkers, but..."
"You don't have to believe it, but what I want is for you to promise to take care of Aemon and Visenya as if they were your own children, to devote yourself to their training and education as is proper if I do not survive what awaits me."
"You don't trust others?"
"I trust no one, but I think you might have more interest in seeing them grow up healthy than others," I said.
"I will do it."
"If I survive, I will remember it," he said before placing his hand on my head.
He murmured a few words in High Valyrian that I recognized as: "Purify the impure blood of this being with the blood of the dragon that flows in his veins."
He repeated this several times before finally removing his hand, then a sudden pain took hold of me.
I barely had time to scream before the pain stopped, and I felt a warmth radiate from my legs and spread throughout my body.
Areo Hotah rushed over, but with a wave of his hand, the Emperor sent him and all the guards flying two meters away from us.
"What have you done to me?" I said.
"I have just purified your body thanks to the
dragon's blood you inherited from your grandmother, Princess Daenerys Nymeros Martell née Targaryen, which also healed your illness," said the Emperor.
"Thank you," I said.
"It's just a small gift. From now on, I hope we can act together as allies without suspicion. I'm counting on you," said the Emperor.
I nodded, and then he left.
"Are you all right?" asked Areo Hotah.
I smiled and then said:
"The game is not over, my old friend. This whole story is just beginning, and nothing is settled because all the pieces are constantly changing."
The loyal captain of my guard frowned, confused, and then I said:
"Take my best men and go to Dragonstone. From this day on, I want you to ensure the safety of Aemon and Visenya and be my contact. I trust no one else to deliver my messages and speak on my behalf."
Areo nodded, and I allowed myself a moment to dream for a few seconds:
'If he could use this Valyrian magic, then Aemon, as his son, could use the same magic, even restore the magic of our ancestors, the Rhoynars.'
'The First Emperor of Westeros, Aegon Targaryen, a wise man. He is far from the image of the tyrant I had of him. His ability to act on multiple fronts simultaneously, while planning numerous backup plans, while facing his own flaws and shortcomings, is admirable and the trait of a sovereign with great wisdom and intelligence. Let's hope he continues on this path for many years,' I thought as I watched the Emperor's dragon rise into the air and slowly disappear into the sunny sky of Sunspear.