4th Month of 299 A.C. King's Landing
Prince Trystane Martell
King's Landing was big, bigger than anything he'd ever seen before. It was an intimidating place, and not just because it was the capital. Not for the first time, Trystane found himself remembering the history between his family and the king's family, he found himself wondering why uncle Oberyn had sent him here, why his mother had agreed to come here, to the place where Aunt Elia had died. There was so much he did not quite understand about all of this, and it frustrated him, it really frustrated him. Then of course there was the other thing he had been given without an explanation, a hammer, it was heavy by the gods it was heavy, and judging by the look the king was giving it, it was necessary.
"Where did you get this hammer Prince Trystane?" the king asks.
Trystane notes how the king tries to keep his voice calm and largely succeeds. "My uncle Oberyn gave it to me Your Grace. He said to give it to you when I had the chance. And so now I have the chance and have given it to you."
The king looks at him then, his expression thoughtful. "Well I thank you very much for this. I have looked long and hard for it."
Trystane knows he should not ask, but he cannot help himself. "What is it? I know it is a war hammer, but what is it?"
The king looks at him. "This, this is Durran's hammer. The hammer with which Durran tamed the gods and made them his own. And before him, it belonged to the first king. It is a powerful weapon."
"Why was it in Dorne sire? Surely such a thing should be in the Stormlands if nowhere else?" Trystane asks.
The king considers this a moment and then responds. "I can see why you might think that, but the hammer was lost many years before Argilac the Arrogant rode out to fight Orys Baratheon. It was lost during the reign of one of the Durran kings, and as such it had been searched for many years, and yet none found it. It showed up within various other places, but never at the right moment. And now it is returned."
Trystane considers this and then asks. "And what does it do?"
"You lifted the hammer, did you not my prince?" The king asks.
"I did Sire. I tried to at least." Trystane replies.
"And how long did it take you to get to grips with it?" The king asks.
Trystane shifts around a bit then and responds. "I do not think I have gotten to grips with it even now sire."
The king smiles then. He puts one hand to the hammer and lifts it up. Trystane watches with awe at the sight. He thinks he hears something sound in the distance, something akin to a storm. "You see, this hammer is my birth right my prince. It is mine, and now that it has come home, we can now prepare to fight Renly Baratheon."
Trystane looks at the king still in awe at the sight before him, he bows his head. "Of course my king, Renly Baratheon will not stand a chance against you now."
The king nods and then asks. "Now tell me of your brother and sister, and the war within Dorne."
Trystane hesitates a moment unsure of what the king is asking of him. "What do you wish to know Sire?"
"Tell me about your sister and brother, their strengths and their weaknesses. It is not often that a Martell fights another Martell." the king responds.
Trystane wants to say that Arianne is not a Martell, but he keeps his mouth shut on that matter, eventually though he responds. "Quentyn, he is quite quiet, and stubborn, he is someone who fights through whatever ails him. And yet, he is insecure, he does not know whether or not belongs to our family because of where he was raised, and how he was raised. He looks to the Yronwoods more than he does to our own heritage. He would make a bad prince of Dorne." he pauses, closes his eyes and then thinks of Arianne. "Arianne, she is difficult, fiercely proud, she wants to be a ruler, and she wishes she could be a man, but she knows how to get what she wants using the thing between her legs."
"And it would seem she has a good brain if the number of men fighting for her regardless of their age, is any indication. Though, one must wonder, why is it then that they are fighting? The king responds. "Oh I know about their arguments, but why are they really fighting."
Trystane thinks over the question and then says. "I am not sure I understand Sire."
The king sighs, and Trystane feels nervous, he does not want to disappoint the king. "What really motivates someone could be very different to what they say motivates them. I would know what is the cause of that, for your siblings."
Trystane thinks he understands the question and so considers it. He thinks through all he knows of Quentyn and Arianne, pondering over the whole dynamic between the two of them. Eventually he says. "Quentyn hates Arianne for growing up under our father, and Arianne wishes she was Quentyn."
The king smiles then. "And what do you think?"
"What do I think?" Trystane replies uncomprehendingly.
"Of them." the king replies.
Trystane considers and then says coldly. "I think they are fools who are not worth the breath they breathe."
His heart flutters when the king smiles at him. "Very good, you will do just fine here my prince. Now you may go."
Trystane kisses the king's ring, and bows, then departs from the king's presence. He walks confidently, determinedly, he knows that the king finds him useful, so long as that remains the case, there is no reason why he can't achieve greatness.
Daenerys Targaryen
She was scared, so very scared. How had it come to this? Viserys had been convinced that he was going to win, so very convinced that none would withstand the dragon, and yet, and yet he was dead, slain in Duskendale, the place where their father had gone mad. Dany was scared, very, very scared, she did not know why she was so scared, but she knew she was right to feel scared. There was something about this place that did not sit right with her, something that did not make it seem like home. She wanted to return to the house with the lemon tree and the red front door. It was all she had wanted, Viserys had not understood that though, he had wanted the throne and had died because of that. Dany, well Dany did not want to die, and now she looks at the man before and she knows she is going to die.
The man before her is tall and intimidating, the Baratheon king, he looks something like the Kingslayer, and something like the usurper, so she has been told. She is not sure if that is right or not though. He wears his Baratheon livery, there is a crown somewhere nearby, something is going on, she cannot see though, not tied down as she is. The man looks at her and smiles. "Your line ends today Daenerys, how does that make you feel?" the man asks, sneering at her.
Dany looks at the man and responds shakily. "The dragon never dies, there will always be people who will fight for us."
There is a laugh and the man responds. "You are a naïve little girl, just like your brother was a naïve man. There are no more Targaryen supporters. You are to die here today, and your line will end."
"Why do you want me dead? Why do you not marry me instead?" she asks pleading, Viserys would slap her for that.
The man looks as if she has slapped him. "Marry you? Pah, I will not stain my marriage bed with the blood of mad man. You are not worthy of sharing my bed. Nor are you worthy of sharing my wife's bed."
"I am the blood of the dragon. I am more powerful than you." Dany replies bitingly.
The straps tighten and cut into her. "You are not powerful my lady. You have no supporters, nor armies, you are nothing but a husk of a house."
Dany looks at the man before her, and she feels such hatred. "You are a murderer."
The man looks indifferent to this. "Yes, I am."
"Does that not bother you?" Dany asks incredulously.
The man merely stares at her and laughs. "A king has to be willing to get their hands dirty. Now enough talk." the man moves backward, and in the dark Dany sees him wielding what looks like a hammer.
She whimpers slightly, and the hammer hits her sides, and her hands. She screams with pain, and then the man swings his hammer once more, the pain comes in bitingly. She screams, and screams, but the man keeps swinging his hammer, until he does not. And then she falls forward, the straps are loose now, but her hands are bleeding. The man does not help her, but she struggles to her feet, she looks at her hands, they are a mess, bleeding and broken. She looks at the man, and then she tries to run, but a dog stops her from moving, his face burned. He tightens his grip on her and then pushes her back, and this time a man with the wolf catches her, he looks at her draws a dagger and cuts her face and she does not scream, she has seen this boy somewhere before, she knows him. She leans forward and kisses him, but then she is yanked back.
The man speaks then. "I see you have become acquainted with Jon. Now tell me my lady, what do you think I should do with you now? Jon would have me give you a quick death, but considering the pain you have given my father, and family, I think perhaps a longer death is better."
Dany can feel the tears falling down her cheeks and she hates herself for that. "Why do you hate me so much?" she asks through a broken whisper.
The man stares at her, his expression hard. "You are all that was wrong with Westeros. Dragons came and they conquered, and they ruled for a time, and then you forgot how to rule. I will not allow that to happen again."
Dany looks at the man and says. "You are mad, you have to be mad. You are doing something that is evil."
The man laughs and squeezes her cheeks. "Evil? Was it evil when your father had Lord Rickard Stark burned to death whilst his son choked himself to death?"
"Stark had committed treason." Dany says repeating the words Viserys had told her.
The man laughs. "You are a fool, your brother was mad and he died for it. Do you want to die the same way? Shall I tell you a truth?"
"You would only lie." Dany says.
"Ser Barristan, come here." The man barks. Ser Barristan Selmy, her father's finest knight, a traitor. He looks at her and then at the man. "Tell her what you told me."
The knight bows his head and then looks at her. "Prince Rhaegar was a mad man and a rapist, someone who took advantage of a young girl and raped her."
Dany wants to scream at the man that he is lying, but somewhere, deep within herself, she knows he is speaking the truth. She looks at the man then and whispers. "Do what you want with me."
The man merely smiles. "Oh I am." He raises the crown then, places it atop her head and bows mockingly. "To the last dragon." he raises his hammer, and Dany closes her eyes, she feels the hammer smash into her, and she dies screaming.
