As her carriage approached the Martell camp, Elia prepared herself for the confrontation that would happen. There was no way that Doran would forget what had happened in the solar. Her elder brother had always been different from her and Oberyn, holding grudges, making long-term plans, and only looking after what he cared for. He had constantly bullied Rhaegar is accepting his demands, and her husband had bent because of their children, and it was her fault in a way. She had been the one to send Aegon and Rhaenys to foster in Dorne and not allow anyone else except her family to become close to her children. While Rhaneys had become close to Oberyn, Aegon had been influenced by Doran. By the time she realized her mistake, it had been too late. Rhaella and Rhaegar had not said anything when Aegon started prioritizing Dorne over everyone else, but the silence had hurt. It had grown worse when Oberyn was appointed as Master of Laws at Aegon's insistence, but then relief came in the form of her younger brother's daughter. Obara, Nymeria, and Tyene arrived at Kingslanding along with their father and had full access to the Red Keep because of their closeness to Rhaenys. Unfortunately for them, they had no idea of how the Red Keep was. One of the maids had heard them taunting Visenya when she was alone and had informed it straight to Rhaenys. Her eldest daughter had held her anger for once and sought Aegon to confirm it. They had arrived in the library and heard Obara calling Visenya a bastard indirectly. She didn't know what Visenya's reaction had been, but an hour later, Aegon had thundered into a small council meeting and all but demanded that the sand snakes be banished from the city. By the end of the day, Oberyn had left back for Dorne along with his daughters, and her children had spent the day comforting their youngest sister. Doran had been quite furious at it and a Raven arrived for her demanding for Oberyn to be reinstated. She had thrown away the message but her brother had not forgotten it. Oberyn's dismissal had been used later in other demands from Dorne and was frequently reminded in their meetings.
The head of Martell Guards greeted her once she reached the camp and escorted her to the tent where all her family members were. She could already hear Oberyn ranting as the door opened. Her younger brother paused before running to embrace her, nearly knocking her back.
"You are coming to Dorne with me."
"No, I am not, Oby."
"Yes, you are. I am not going to leave you here."
She shook her head before stepping back. Oberyn had always been the only one of them whose decisions were made by his emotions, and she had expected it.
"No, I cannot leave my family now, Oberyn. They need me more than you realize..."
She paused at hearing a snort from Obara and turned to face her, but Doran got her attention first.
"Ahh, yes, your family. Your husband's... son's arrival has changed quite a lot of things in them, Elia."
She stopped herself from reacting, but his elder brother's silky tone and the amused atmosphere in the room were making it difficult for her. After taking a deep breath, she turned to face the least mattered first.
"You all are bastards, illegitimate children, and even though your father is a prince of Dorne, your status will always stay with you. Everything you have is due to your father and his family. The skills you pride on and are so arrogant of does not matter at all out of the walls that Oberyn provides you with. I am sure one can count on one hand how many times you all have defeated someone outside of Dorne in a sparring match. The tales of your amorous activities are already famous across Westeros, and you do not care for it."
She rode over whatever Oberyn was trying to say, her eyes fixed on the four girls standing in front of me.
"Your father has the same reputation and so does your cousin and that has made you think it's okay to behave as they do. It is not because you all keep forgetting one significant thing. Unlike your father, who is the Prince of Dorne, and Arriane, who is the Heir to Dorne, all of you are bastards, worth nothing, even in the eyes of Dorne. Your arrogant and rude behavior has already made a lot of highborn detest you, and you can count my children in it too. I don't need to tell you that the Targaryens already don't like the people of Dorne, and your behavior with Visenya had pissed all of them, especially Daenerys, who loves her niece and who is going to be the next Queen of the realm. Keep that in mind the next time you decide to make fun of the Targaryens. I let you all go when you were caught tormenting my youngest daughter because of our relationship, but it will not happen again. I am your aunt through Oberyn, but I am also the Queen of Westeros and a Martell. You do not want me acting against you, trust me."
While Oberyn, his daughter, and Trystane looked angry, Doran and Arianne were still resting easily. It shocked her a little as while Doran had never shown more than a passing interest in his brother's daughters, her eldest niece was quite close to her cousins. Her nonchalant behavior after what she had was quite interesting.
"Now, leave the tent, all of you. I need to talk to my family members who matter."
She paused to think for a moment before adding.
"Actually, Arianne, could you and your brother also accompany them? I would like to talk to my brother alone."
Her eldest niece raised an eyebrow before nodding and leaving the tent. Others also followed her but not without a nudge from their fathers while she patiently looked at them. Once it was just Doran, Oberyn, and her in the room, she took a seat.
"That was undeserved, Elia."
It hurt to hear Oberyn use her name, but she didn't show it.
"Was it Oby? Remind me what you did when a knight of House Fowler had called a young Obara a bastard a few years ago and then compare it to what I did when it happened."
"Obara is my daughter..."
Heat spread inside her as she clenched her fists.
"And Visenya is my daughter, which both of you refuse to accept despite what I want or say. I am making it clear the last time. Visenya and Aemon are as much as my children as Aegon and Rhaneys are. I am done with all the veiled words my family has been freely speaking against my children and Lyanna and will not accept it any further. It's time you both start listening to your sister."
Silence spread in the room as both of her brothers stared at her. The pinched expression Doran had been wearing had dissolved into one of shock.
"You have changed, sister."
She gave a small smile to her younger brother.
"There is a very good chance that I might be forced to bury my loved ones in few years, Oby. There is no place for forced decorum and obligations in my life anymore."
She couldn't stop the tears as they formed in her eyes, her mind bringing up some of the worse thoughts she was having.
"With my children being on the front lines of the coming War, I have to help them as much as I can. As much as I love you both despite everything that has happened, nobody is more important to me than my children."
Oberyn sat next to her and embraced her, whispering encouragements in her ear, but her eyes were focused on Doran, who had a steely look on his face. She controller herself before speaking again.
"I came here with a request and a command before you all leave for Dorne."
"Command, Elia?" Doran asked. She steeled herself before answering.
"Yes. As the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms and princess of Dorne, I am commanding you both, the Princes of Dorne, to help the Crown in every way possible way in the fight in the upcoming War. No more tricks, no more excuses, and no more pride. Our survival is at stake now, and I would like my homeland to fight for the people they are proud of, for Dorne to show that they don't deserve the ridicule they regularly get."
"And the request?" Doran enquired softly. She closed her eyes before looking at her older brother.
"Don't make my and my children choose between two sides of my family. If it comes down to it, Aegon and Rhaenys will not support you, brother, not after your actions in both rebellions. Your plans to make Quentyn the heir, which is not as secret as you hope, are also for naught. Arianne will never accept it, no matter what you do. Sooner or later, she will try to claim her birthright back, one which might leave the realm in a civil war at a time when it will harm everyone the most. Aegon will not go against you by himself as he still respects you despite your actions, but Rhaenys does not like you or Quentyn, Doran. If she asks for it, Aegon will support Arianne, should she try to get her birthright. The reason behind your daughter's uncaring attitude about your plans is because she knows it will not matter much. All you are doing is creating enmity between brother and sister for the sake of pride. You have ruined our sibling relationship long ago, Doran; I request you to stop ruining another."
For a long time, silence spread in the room after she stopped speaking. While Oberyn was still looking at her with mixed emotions, Doran was determinedly not looking at her.
"Thank you for your words, Your Grace. Could you excuse me while I gather my thoughts?"
With that, she knew she had lost her brother. She stood up and left the room with Oberyn right on her heels.
"Elia..."
"I am not going to apologize, Oby. Everything I said in there was true, even about your daughters. Take a moment and think about it. You have been protecting them till now, and I respect you for it, but you have let them gain the same arrogance you have. Your station protects you, but theirs only makes it worse, Oberyn. What happens if you are not there for them anymore."
"Their family will protect them." He replied with a determination that changed into anger at her scoff.
"You are a fool to think that, brother. The behavior of the eldest three has made them no friends that would stand by them, Doran doesn't care about them, Quentyn and Trystane hate them for their rudeness and insults, Aegon doesn't like them, and Arianne and Rhaneys will not go too far for them especially considering how your daughters behave with their brothers. Arianne might not like Quentyn, but he is her brother, and Trystane has always been close to her. Please take a look back and think who had been the one to stop your daughters when they made fun of their cousins. And after what the three did with Visenya, Rhaeny's feelings about them have changed. Ellaria's family has already refused to recognize them..."
As the Queen laid down some hard facts in her younger brother, some distance away and near the Stark camp, her eldest son was walking with determination. Everyone made way for him as he walked, for it was not Kingsgaurd that were walking beside him, but rather two large direwolves. Aegon had to stop himself from giggling at the expression of awe on everyone's face as we walked towards the Stark camp. He had decided to visit the Stark camp to talk to Robb Stark and had been joined halfway by Ghost and Greywind. By the time he reached the Stark camp, several Targaryen guards had formed behind him, which seem to agitate the northerners. Fortunately, some of the Northern guards had some wit with them as they dispersed the crowd around him while one ran to fetch Robb Stark at his command.
The newly appointed Lord Paramount of the North was grateful when a Stark Soldier entered his tent. Instead of taking them to a room in the Red Keep, the Targaryen soldiers had escorted his entire family to the Stark camp. They were then left alone for some time with strict notice to his parents not to leave the camp until sundown, after which they will be taken back to the Red Keep. Once the guards had left, he had ignored everyone and filled a glass of wine before drinking it down in one take. It didn't help much except numbing the fire and heat that was burning inside him. Right now, all he wanted was to lay down and rest, but he didn't have that luxury. While the people in the tent with him felt like strangers, there was a good chance that he wouldn't see his mother anytime soon after today. His father(uncle, his mind supplied) and sister were going to accompany him back to home( Winterfell, his mind screamed as something tore inside him), but all he wanted to be as far away from them as possible, especially Sansa. His naive, sweet sister who had shown that she would do anything to become a queen. Despite trying to stop it, a hysterical laugh escaped from him. Tears fell from his eyes as he tried to control himself but failing to do anything other than keep crying and laughing.
"Robb, son..."
His hand came down hard at the table, stopping his mother from speaking.
"Don't. After everything you three have done, I have no intention to be consoled by anyone of you. Just leave me alone."
"Robb, I did it all for you, you must understand..."
"Is that so, mother? You nearly killed my cousin, an innocent child, for me? Is that what I should understand? Or that you and Sansa planned an attack on our own family, which lead to countless deaths so I could become the King? Tell me, Mother, what should I understand?"
He turned to the man he had always known as his father.
"And you, what do you want to say? Maybe like you tried to keep Jon with his family, that you wanted to protect Aunt Lyanna's child, fulfill your last words to her? It must be something like that, right?"
He knew it was not right what he was saying, but at the moment, he didn't care. His eyes found his sister at last, whose haughty expression irritated him more.
"And you, my sweet sister. You will do anything to become a queen, right, even let your family be harmed so that you can call yourself a queen? Isn't that what you and mother did?"
He would have gone on a more extended rant, but at that moment, a guard wearing Stark colors entered the tent.
"Forgive me, My Lords, My ladies, the crown prince is waiting outside and has requested a meeting with Lord Stark, My Lord."
His father started standing up when the guard spoke again.
"I apologize, My Lord. I meant he wants to meet you." The guard said, eyes fixed on him and left when he nodded.
"I will see all of you later." That was all he said before leaving the tent. It took him some time to reach where the crown prince was waiting outside the camp, but his eyes were not fixed on Aegon Targaryen but on the two giant wolves running towards him. He barely had time to signal his guards to stay back before the grey wolf pounced on him. Once again, he was laughing and crying at the same time as he dealt with the over-affectionate greeting of his friend. Once he had managed to stand up, ghosts too came near him. He leaned forwards to grasp at his white fur.
"Thank you for keeping him safe, ghost."
The red eyes of the dire wolf seemed to stare deep inside him before bumping its snout against him. He jerked back as the voice of the crown prince he had forgotten about reached him.
"I will never understand how you Starks are so comfortable with them. I don't think I will ever have the courage to be so friendly with Malinda."
He wiped his eyes and walked towards the log the crown prince was sitting on.
"I raised him from when he was a tiny pup, your grace, at least I did it so my last world. You can't fear something you have once seen cowering from a chicken as it was chased around the yard."
The crown prince gave a small laugh as he rubbed Ghost, who had laid down next to him.
"It's difficult to imagine them small."
"Aye, Your grace."
"Hmm, I came here to discuss a few more things with you, Lord Stark, but first, I would like to know you a little more."
"Your Grace," came the questioning reply.
"Aemon cares a lot about you, Robb Stark. He is angry with every Stark except you and Rickon. Your younger half-brother is not here, so it would be you who I can get to know more."
"Your Grace, I..."
The Crown prince leaned back a little more in a relaxed position.
"I am not trying to form a brotherhood here, Lord Stark. I just wanted to understand you a little more, as along with my brother's favorite Stark, you are also the one who will rule over the most extensive realm of the Kingdom I might rule one day."
"Might, Your Grace?"
The crown prince looked at him with a smile that was filled with sadness.
"Not all of us are going to survive the upcoming War, Lord Stark, maybe none of us if we don't manage to defeat the horrors that are coming for us. And even if we do win, I am not sure that the Kingdom would stay the way as it is now. So yes, there is no guarantee that I will one day rule upon all the realms."
"Aye, Your Grace. What would you like to know about me?"
"You can start from your childhood moments with Aemon."
Both young men talked for a long time, discussing the things they had observed about Aemon Targaryen. Aegon Targaryen learned a lot about how his younger brother was growing up, while Robb Stark learned how much Jon had changed from the last time he saw him. Once they were done talking about him, Aegon looked at Robb Stark with a serious expression.
"I came here to talk about some more things, Robb. First, there is the matter of Dragonglass. Right now, the only accessible source we have of that stone is the island of Dragonstone. The Crown has already started looking for miners for that, and I believe we will soon begin to ship them off. The Grandmaester informed me that there is one more place in the Kingdom known for supplying this stone, and that place falls under your jurisdiction."
Robb tried to think about any such place in North, but nothing came up. He was sure Maester Luwin had never mentioned something like that. His confused expression must have been clear to the crown prince as he provided the answer.
"I am talking about Skagos, Lord Stark, the island under the Dominion of House Magnar, which answers to Winterfell I was told."
Robb shook his head as he recalled the words of Maester Luwin about those Islands.
"Only theoretically, Your Grace. They have not had any contact with the mainland for more than 100 years, and I never received any reply from them in my last world when I called all the banners. I am not even sure that whether people still reside there or whether they are what the legends say about them."
At the confused expression of the crown prince, he explained further.
"There are stories which say that they are descended from Giants; most of them say they are cannibal, half-wit savages, and things like that. I believe that the last time the North knew about the North had any contact with Skagosi was during the reign of your ancestor, King Daeron II Targaryen. They rebelled against House Stark, which lasted for years and claimed the lives of a lot of men, one of which was the then Lord Paramount of the North, Lord Barthogan Stark."
Aegon Targaryen was silent for a few moments as he considered Robb Stark's words.
"Hmm, well then, I believe it's time House Stark reclaim its control over them, Lord Stark. The realm needs that Dragonglass in the War that is coming. It would be easier to ship it to the Wall from Skagos than Dragonstone, which can also than ship it to the rest of the Kingdom to store and weaponize."
It took him only a few moments for Robb Stark to understand what the Crown Prince was saying.
"You don't believe that the Wall will be able to hold them back."
"No, Lord Stark, I don't. In Aemon's old world, they broke through using a dead Dragon. In this world, we know they would have a lot of them. So, no, I don't believe that we would be able to hold them back at the Wall for long. Which brings us to another point that I wanted to discuss."
"The North would have to be evacuated.", Robb murmured.
"Yes, all who can not fight or are not needed critically for support will have to be sent south. You will have to find a place in the Kingdom to do so. The Crown will support you in every possible way in this, and if you decide to attack Skagos, but it would be North who would have to plan, initiate and see both of them through."
Aegon Targaryen could only watch as the full weight of the coming future started crashing on the man, and he hoped that Robb was strong enough to bear it.
"You would also need to choose an heir soon, Robb. Whoever you decide upon would need to be trained and informed. House Stark will be the one to lead this War as they had done once a long time, and it will not have the luxury to stumble should its Lord fall. There is also the matter of your marriage, which would have to be decided earnestly."
Seeing the man's shaken state, Aegon decided to inform the man about something that might help him.
"I understand that with what you have faced recently, all this might feel overwhelming to you."
"Just a little, Your Grace." came the whispering reply.
"That's why father and I have agreed to let your father remain at Winterfell for a time period of two years, which can be extended should we feel it is needed."
He raised his hand to stop the expected interruption.
"No, Robb, your father is not being pardoned. He will be escorted straight to the Wall from here, where he will take his oaths. Once it is done, the Lord Commander will release him from his duties to act as the Watch's liaison to Winterfell. Should the War's end be favorable to the living, he would return back to Night's Watch and join them in whatever their new mission would be."
Aegon smiled at the relieved expression on Robb's face before standing up.
"We will meet once more before you leave, Lord Stark."
With that, he started walking in the direction of the location of the next person he wanted to meet, the camp of Stormlands. As Ghost joined him with the guards forming up behind them, he wondered how Rhaenys' meeting with Olenna Tyrell went.
Hello guys, sorry for the late update. With my laptop and tablet shot to hell, it has become difficult to write. I don't have access to my grammer softwares and its really tough to write on a mobile phone. I have started saving for a new laptop, but since I am aiming for a gaming laptop, it might take some time. Untill then, the update schedule will not go back to what it was. I will try to do them a little faster, but can't promise anything.
REVIEW REPLIES
Guest & Guest:- Thankyou for a giving the fic a chance.
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Marble123:- Maybe, I wanted to make something that does not make him OP and finish the white walkers easily. I have a fully detailed plan for the War of Dawn which would easily spread across 80 chapters.