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Davos touched the pouch with the severed phalanges of his fingers and looked longingly into the cloudless blue Dornish sky. During the day, when the sun beat down from the heavens like a red-hot hammer, all living things hid for cover. Now, fortunately, it was evening. The heat was slowly subsiding, and the Boardwalk City was coming to life. Merchants were shouting, half-naked whores were peering out of the windows of brothels, a fat man was roasting a snake on the coals, and little swarthy thieves were scurrying about. One of them tried to steal from Davos, but his old instincts did not fail him. He had been a smuggler before becoming a knight, and before that he had lived in Flea End. Davos twisted the pickpocket's arm and gave him a good smack. The boy took the punishment in silence: it was an occupational hazard.
Davos had been a guest of the Prince of Dornish for almost a month now, but he had never seen the Prince himself. Tomorrow, he was told. Prince Doran will see you tomorrow. But tomorrow it turned out that the prince had a gout attack, or that some important lord, much nobler than Davos, had come to see him, so, of course, he had to be admitted first... and so it went on and on. It was clear the prince didn't want to see him, and Davos would have left long ago if not for the king's orders. Stannis had told him to meet with Doran Martell, and Davos was going to fulfil the order, even if he had to wait a year.
But Davos saw Princess Arianna often. She had been assigned by her father to take care of the guest's accommodation, and her daughter had taken great care of the task. He was given the best quarters overlooking the sea, his meals were prepared by the best chefs, and he was given a superb yellow silk dressing gown decorated with small copper discs representing the sun. Because of the local heat, Davos wore it all the time. The princess herself, as if in compensation for her father's disrespectfulness, was affectionate and attentive. She even tried to flirt with Davos, but he pretended not to notice. Of course he wanted her. What man in his position wouldn't? But Davos was well aware of the consequences of such a liaison. Scandal, banishment and the Prince's flat refusal to support Stannis.
The princess was teaching Davos caiwassa, a new fashionable game of Dornish nobility imported from the Free Cities. By her own admission, she played poorly and often lost to her cousins. But she had beaten Davos four out of five times. This evening she sat opposite him in her short dressing gown, twisted her legs under her (the hem of the dressing gown pulled up even higher, exposing her swarthy thighs), rested her black-haired head on the palm of her hand, and defeated him three times. The princess's seductive roundness, to which Davos' attention was constantly diverted, played no small part in his defeats.
- My father will see you tomorrow, Ser Davos,' Arianna said.
- I have heard that many times, including from you. Let me not believe you, Princess.
- No, he will actually see you this time. And he will refuse you.
Refusal. Davos knew in his mind that this was the only answer he should expect after all the subterfuge, but still his heart clenched painfully. His mission would end in failure. Stannis would get no help from the Dornish. However...
- Why had he delayed so long? Why didn't he refuse at once?
Arianna twisted a curl of resin around her finger thoughtfully.
- My father does not like to be rushed, Ser Davos. Before he makes a decision, he discusses it at length with his family, his friends, his vassals. Some of them, like my cousins Tiena and Nymeria, were in favour of supporting you. I myself was in favour of supporting you. Aunt Elia and her children must be avenged! But most of the lords were against it, and Father took their side.
- But why? - Davos continued to wonder. - Our cause is just, and we outnumber the Lannisters. Starks, Tullys, Baratheons. Three great houses against one! And with the Martells, it would be four!
- Two against two. The Tullys are defeated and the Tyrells have joined the Lannisters.
- I've heard nothing of this,' Davos said, surprised.
- Mace Tyrell doesn't want to publicise the agreement ahead of time. Even the Lannisters are not aware of it yet. But our friend in Highgarden says the ravens have already been sent out with orders to summon the troops.
Davos has been dreading and waiting for this. Ever since Mace Tyrell had feasted beneath the walls of besieged Storm's End, hoping thereby to break its starving defenders, Stannis had disliked the Tyrells intensely. And they knew it. Stannis on the Iron Throne did not please either Lord Mace or his friend and kinsman Lord Paxter, whose fleet kept Storm's End under siege. If Davos hadn't slipped past Paxter Redwyne's galleys on a moonless night and brought Stannis food, the castle would have fallen.
- It makes things worse, Davos admitted, but it doesn't make them hopeless. King Stannis and Lord Stark have already amassed armies and are leading them to the capital, while the Tyrells have yet to do so. If Stannis takes the city before the Tyrells approach, he can hold it. Defence is easier than attack, and with sea dominance, food supplies are assured. King Stannis won't have to starve like he did at Storm's End. And if the Dornish were to strike the Tyrells besieging King's Landing in the rear....
Arianna wiggled her foot lazily.
- We are too few. Ten, twenty thousand swords at most, against the Tyrells' eighty and the Lannisters' forty. How many forces do Stannis and the Northmen have? Fifty thousand in all. Yes, we'd be three great houses against two, but the Commonwealth and the West are richer than we are, and their armies are more numerous. Father could still stand against the lions alone, but not against a union of lion and rose.
- You've forgotten the Arryns, Princess. The Vale should support us, for Lord Eddard was brought up there and knows many of them.
- What of it? Lord Eddard's acquaintances don't run the Vale. Lady Lysa does. Lady Catelyn was at the Eagle's Nest, but it seems she couldn't persuade her sister and returned to the North with nothing.
- Lady Lysa may change her mind when King Stannis takes the capital.
Arianna smiled with full lips and, pushing aside the kaiwassa board, unfolded a map on the table.
- 'Look, Ser Davos. Here is Riverrun,' she placed a lion figure on the map, "here is Harrenhal," another lion figure, "here is King's Landing," a third lion figure. - Here's Trident,' a wolf figure, "and somewhere here is your Stannis," a stag figure appeared in the Narrow Sea near Massey's Hook. - We're not counting the Tyrells yet. If Stannis approaches the capital, then-' Arianna took hold of the Harrenhal figurine and knocked the stag figurine down with it.
Davos didn't give up. He put everything back in place and repeated the moves of the stag and lion figures, only this time the wolf figure followed the lion figure and knocked it down at King's Landing, while the stag figure held on.
- What if it did? - He asked.
Arianna shook her head. She moved the lion figure from Riverrun to meet the wolf figure, and the Harrenhal figure knocked the stag figure down again near the capital.
- Would the Lannisters lift the siege on Riverrun just to keep the Northmen from joining Stannis?
Arianna nodded.
- But perhaps Lord Tywin won't make it in time?
The deer figure successively knocked off the lion figure in the capital, and then the lion figure from Harrenhal who was late to help her.
- 'That is all your hope,' said the princess. - 'But my father thinks it too elusive to risk the lives of thousands of Dornish people.