A/N: Sorry for the delay in the update. Been caught up with some personal stuff.
Aerion
Aerion held onto the spines of Vermidrexes tightly as they flew southwards. Despite having his health restored after bonding with his dragon, he did not have the youthful strength that his children had and he had to work twice as hard to stay atop his mount.
Aerion flew for most of the first half of the day since sunlight broke. After the main army was consolidated at Highgarden, they advanced southwards towards Oldtown, where Addam Hightower had managed to convince the rest of his family and the citizens of the ancient city to resurrect the old crown of the High Tower, as a way to separate themselves from the Reach houses that had declared fealty to the dragons. Consequently, his children and Jaenyx were not going to show mercy to the Hightowers, especially since they promised to empower Taygor Leniar as the new Lord of Oldtown.
For the rebellion led by Weslar Reyne, Kenzou Haru and Lord Reyne were making good progress against the Lannisters of Lannisport, the Westerlings, and what remained of the Leffords, the three main houses that defied orders and were resisting in the name of their new king, Seamus Lannister, the eldest son of Loren. Aerion wanted to finish off Seamus the same way that he did with the father, with fire bathing his corpse until it was naught but ash. However, Aegon and the others told him that they needed him elsewhere, to negotiate with Dorne.
Aerion knew why they wanted him there, as Dorne was practically silent during the war on the Faith despite many of their people following it. And even though his children had come a long way in terms of their ability to deal with the finer details of political negotiations, Aerion was still the most experienced and the Yellow Toad of Dorne would respect someone whose youth had long disappeared, as people like her would probably look down on his children.
From Highgarden, they sent a letter to Sunspear, informing them that a "senior member of the dragon dynasty" was coming to treat with the Princess of Dorne and that they are willing to open negotiations. They intentionally made the nature of such negotiations unclear, for the situation with Dorne remained without bloodshed and everyone preferred that peace remained, at least until every part of Westeros north of the Red Mountains was secure.
Finally, Sunspear sent a reply, in which they said that they would be expecting their chosen representative to arrive and that they would be treated warmly.
Aegon and Visenya personally presented their father with his own suit of chainmail and leather, but Aerion shook his head. "No, no. I am acting as a diplomat, not going to battle."
"Surely, kepa, a show of strength would be beneficial in influencing negotiations on our terms," Visenya said.
"If I am going to wear armor at the court of the Yellow Toad, I would only be showing hostile intentions to the Dornishmen, and that is the last thing that we need right now," Aerion answered.
"But, kepa, how can you know that the Yellow Toad does not mean to do you harm?" Rhaenys asked.
"It has been quiet south of the Red Mountains, if the reports are correct," Aerion stated. "There has been no skirmishes and no Dornish banners marching to support the Faith banners. And if I recall correctly, there has been no other sorts of disturbances along the boundaries near the lands of the Tarlys and the Carons?"
"That is correct, goodfather, but I strongly second precautions to be taken," Jaenyx urged. "There is nothing wrong with being careful, particularly if we are dealing with the descendants of Princess Nymeria."
Aerion shook his head. "If I were the Yellow Toad, I would not take the risk of threatening me. Dorne did not fight us, and therefore, we don't have a reason to fight them. She is not going to give us an excuse to wage war."
"Still, it is always wise to take precautions, goodfather. There is no telling what the Dornish would do even if they promised to receive you."
"I have my dragon flying around, and all of you should know that the one who ate those poor dragon hatchlings is not to be trifled with. If Vermidrexes gets one whiff that I am in danger, Sunspear will be burned to the ground. Not even the Yellow Toad would risk that."
Aerion was able to get his point through, while Valaena offered to join him.
"Val, I can do this by myself. You do not need to go."
"Why not? I have always wanted to see what the deserts of Dorne were like."
"Maybe someday, Val. But I have duties to attend to, just as you do now. And do not worry, for I shall do my part in raising our grandchildren."
"You better, Aerion. I love our grandsons to death, but they require a more male touch to them."
"Of course. I will be back before you know it."
After flying from Highgarden and past the Red Mountains, he finally flew over the deserts of Dorne. It was as Aerion expected, with only a few settlements that were visible from the air and no major water systems besides the few rivers trickling through the Red Mountains and near the Dornish coasts. He had no doubt that the inhabitants had seen him and were likely to warn Sunspear. Not that it mattered, for the Yellow Toad was not going to jeopardize a good chance of peace.
Aerion told Vermidrexes to not stop until they saw Sunspear, which he only had a vague memory of.
Are we going to burn them? Vermidrexes asked.
No. We are coming in peace. There will be no burning now.
Pity. I am not sure if I am going to be one for calmness.
Aerion patted his dragon's neck. There will be a time to fight, but I must ask you to stay your fire for now. Your time will come.
Hopefully, I can make it back with the other dragons. I would be damned before I let them have all of the fun.
Finally, Aerion saw silhouettes in the distance and then the golden roofs of Sunspear became clear. He beckoned Vermidrexes to go faster, for he did not want to spend more time in the seat of House Martell than was necessary.
Aerion could make out the walls that surrounded Sunspear, which was protected by three massive Winding Walls, encircling one another. He read that the walls surrounding the home of the Martells contained miles of narrow alleys, hidden courts, and noisy bazaars. He then looked at the Threefold Gate, where the gates were lined up one behind the other, and that gate avoided the labyrinth and instead allowed a straight passage on a brick path towards the Old Palace. If they ever get besieged, that fortress is going to fall pretty quickly.
Aerion then saw observed one of Sunspear's chief structures, the original stronghold of House Martell called the Sandship, which was a large, ugly, dun-colored building that looks like a dromond. As time passed, towers in Rhoynish fashion sprung up around the keep. Two other chief structures were the tall and slender Spear Tower and the great, domed Tower of the Sun. The Spear Tower was a hundred and a half feet high, and Aerion knew that structured was used to house prisoners of noble birth. Inside the Tower of the Sun could the high seats of the Prince of Dorne be found. Aerion had read that there were two twin seats, one with the Martell spear in laid in gold upon its back, the other that bore the blazing Rhoynish sun. These two towers were the first things visitors would see when they arrived at Sunspear, whether by land or by sea. But not for Aerion, for he could first see the rust behind the gold that was the shadow city.
Built against a wall of Sunspear, the shadow city spread westwards. Closest to Sunspear's walls, Aerion could see the mud-brick shops and windowless hovels. Stables, inns, winesinks and pillow houses were found west of those, with walls of their own. Over time, more hovels had been built against those walls, which led to the city becoming a labyrinth of narrow alleys, homes, and bazaars.
That was the one thing that many did not venture into when visiting Sunspear for the first time, and naturally not one that the Dornishmen would promote as representative of their greatness. Having seen enough of golden facades, Aerion was more interested in what inside the shadow city rather than what the Martells might promote.
Aerion found a place just outside the walls of Sunspear to land his dragon, which also had many Dornish guards awaiting him with a carpet rolled out. Lovely. As Vermidrexes landed, he kicked up much sand, causing the Dornishmen to cover their eyes while bellowing out his loudest roar. He slid off of Vermidrexes' back and strode towards the Dornish guards.
"Are you Lord Aerion Targaryen?" One of them stepped forward. From how he carried himself and from his dress, he was definitely of higher rank than the rest of the Dornishmen present.
"Who is asking?" Aerion sized up this Dornishman.
"I am Prince Nymor Martell, son of Meria Martell, Princess of Dorne." He puffed his chest out, which did not impress Aerion.
"Well met, Prince Nymor." Aerion admitted that the heir to the Dornish throne was tall, muscular, and had clean hair and beard, a fine specimen of the Dornish sands. However, his attitude was that of a man who had still long to wait before getting his inheritance and was overly eager to please. "Before I go further, may I have bread and salt?"
Prince Nymor eyed him curiously. "My lord, guest right is not that common here in Dorne. But rest assured. No harm will come to you while you are behind our walls."
Aerion shook his head, as he was also quick to decipher Nymor's words. "I do not doubt that, Prince Nymor, for who would dare try to defy you and your family? But I would ask bread and salt, for my own peace and mind."
Prince Nymor sighed before nodding and getting a maester to come forward with the bread and salt. Aerion doubted that the Dornishmen respected guest rights as much as those north of the Red Mountains, but should something happen to him, his children would have one more reason to burn the Dornishmen to ash. Aerion dipped the bread in salt and ate it before showing his satisfaction.
"Follow me, please." Nymor lead the way while the guards surrounded Aerion in a protective circle.
Vermidrexes, fly around Sunspear. Do not land until I come out. We should not leave anything to chance.
Understood, Vermidrexes acknowledged before he took off into the skies again.
As Aerion was led through the bowels of Sunspear, people stopped their work, eager to get a glimpse of the first dragonrider that they had ever seen. Aerion kept his back straight and his chin held high, as nothing would impress strangers than a posture and a look that both displayed confidence. He had to show that he was not afraid, so that the Martells would not try to get anything past him.
Eventually, they came to the palace and Aerion was led through the courtyards before arriving at the throne room of the Martell rulers. On there sat an elderly woman on the Dornish throne, whose appearance was that of a woman near the end of her twilight years, was portly, and her hair was thinning out. Next to her was a woman who was the complete opposite, as she was tall, had healthy black hair, thin, and her red garments were tight to make her voluptuous.
"This is far enough, my lord," Prince Nymor said as he turned around. He took his place next to the Dornish throne on the other side of the young Dornishwoman while the guards took positions around the throne room. "Before you is my mother Meria Martell, Princess of Dorne. Next to her is my daughter, Princess Deria Martell, my heir," Prince Nymor announced before turning his head to his mother. "Mother, before you is Lord Aerion Targaryen, previous Lord of Dragonstone, husband of Valaena Velaryon, father of Aegon, Rhaenys, and Visenya Targaryen and Orys Baratheon, and goodfather of both Jaenyx Belaerys and Argella Durrandon."
Although her eyes were pointed in the direction of Aerion and the party led by Prince Nymor, Aerion was aware that the Yellow Toad of Dorne was blind. However, he would be remiss in dismissing her for having a physical limitation, for such a woman made even Argilac Durrandon hesitate in his conflicts with Dorne.
"Welcome, Lord Aerion. I trust that you find our fair city to your liking?" Princess Meria asked.
"It is everything that I had expected it to be, and more," Aerion answered. "And you have my congratulations, for you have a strong son and a beautiful granddaughter to carry on your line."
"I thank you, Lord Aerion." Princess Meria smiled. "I was very pleased when I received the letter from your family, but I must admit that I am… disappointed."
Aerion blinked. "Why are you disappointed, Princess Meria?"
"I would have expected one of your children to come here. Either your daughters, your sons, or your goodson. Instead, they send their father to do their bidding for them. I would have imagined that you would have long had your children deal with their own affairs instead of getting involved like you would have used to before they came of age."
Aerion kept his back straight. "And I would have thought that given your age, you would have allowed your son and heir to take the reins of ruling more, but here he is, below you instead of on equal terms with you."
Prince Nymor frowned and Princess Deria's jaw opened, but Princess Meria chuckled in amusement. "It is not every day that someone has the balls to bring into question my son's ability to take my place after I reach my inevitable death, but you are a dragon after all and therefore the traditional rules of man do not apply to you. That, I will acknowledge."
Aerion dipped his head in thanks, even though Princess Meria could not see that. "Princess Meria, I hope you know the object of my arrival here on this day."
"Yes." Meria nodded. "What your children have accomplished, no one in Westeros could have expected. I, along with my son and granddaughter and everyone else here in Dorne, watched your progress throughout this continent with interest. All of us, I admit, were in awe when we heard news of the death of King Argilac and the burning of Harrenhal, but eliminating both the Gardener kings and King Loren… truly, a new age has arrived to Westeros."
"That is our intention, Princess Meria," Aerion stated.
"It certainly helps the reputation of your family that the Starks willingly bent the knee to you, a masterful move on the part of Torrhen Stark since he just ensured that his house would forever be powerful under the reign of the dragons," Princess Meria continued. "And even more impressive was that he was able to secure a marriage between your heir and his daughter, so the northmen will occupy a permanent place in the highest rungs of power in the new Westeros."
"Indeed so, Princess Meria." The betrothal between Alys Stark and Prince Daemon was not exactly a secret, since there was no other explanation for the Starks willingly giving up their Crown of Winter to serve as vassals to the dragons.
"But your son, Aegon, has called himself the King of Westeros, with Rhaenys as the Queen. I must ask if they intend to press their rule to Dorne, for we are part of this continent after all."
Aerion knew that he had to answer this carefully. While he had no doubt that his children would not hesitate to fight for longer, he knew that the new realm north of the Red Mountains had to recover from all of the chaos that happened after the collapse of so many great houses within only the span of a year and they were exhausted from fighting a continuous war.
"Negotiations will be commenced regarding the status of Dorne, but as you have not participated in the war on the side of the Faith nor had any of your people fight alongside the Faith, we have no reason to fight you. My children want peace, and I hope that you have those same thoughts."
Meria nodded, satisfied. "I do, Lord Aerion. Many of my lords wanted to fight to defend the Faith, but many others did not see the point of spilling Dornish blood and using Dornish treasure for those that only treated Dorne as a convenience. I fell into the latter way of thinking and that was the reason why I forbade any Dornish spears from marching northwards."
"For that, you have the thanks of my family." Aerion bowed slightly.
"But I do have concerns regarding your goodson, Prince Jaenyx Belaerys."
Aerion was taken aback. "What about him, Princess Meria?"
"Is it true that he has been given the titles Lord Paramount of the Reach and Warden of the South?" Princess Meria asked.
Aerion was not surprised, for she must have had people in their camp informing her of the developments. "That is true, Princess Meria."
"And his titles give him responsibility of all of the Reach lands that border our own?"
"Naturally. But I must ask why such titles given to my goodson would be causes of concern to you. After all, he is my goodson and the goodbrother of my son and daughter, the new rulers of Westeros. Anything less would have been insulting to his status and the esteem he enjoys with my family."
"I accept that, Lord Aerion. Your son Orys Baratheon received the former lands and castle of the departed King Argilac, which is admirable given his status." Aerion knew that the Dornish did not have the same attitudes towards bastards as the rest of Westeros. "But, it is Prince Jaenyx's family history and his known attitudes that make everyone in Dorne worried on what he will do."
"Such as?"
"He is the last of the line of House Belaerys, for now. His family was not just any noble family in old Valyria, but they were among the seven most powerful, with dozens of dragons and hundreds of eggs among their holdings at their apex."
"I know about what the former status of my goodson's family, which no longer applies in this day and age as old Valyria is gone," Aerion reminded her.
"Is that so, Lord Aerion? If you are not familiar with your history, the Belaerys family was among the central leaders in the Rhoynish wars and a Belaerys led their armies and dragons in the annihilation of Chroyane. It is a family of warriors, politicians, and other sorts that have proven themselves in the final destruction of my Rhoynish ancestors."
"With respect, Princess Meria, I am aware of all of these facts. I am not sure why you bring this up now."
Princess Meria pursed her lips. "I am not sure if you are being dense, or you wish for me to be explicit in what I have to say."
"I prefer the latter, so that we have no misunderstandings."
Princess Meria nodded, relieved. "Good. Then I shall say this up front. Your goodson enjoying his current titles and power is of great concern to us, given his family and our knowledge that he was responsible for purging Dragonstone of all things that were not related to old Valyria, especially since he and his cousin Taygor Leniar are the main agents of the spread of the Valyrian religion to these lands. We must have assurances that your goodson will not be a threat to us in the near future."
Aerion tapped his fingers on the sides of his thighs, as he saw what she was asking. "What do you wish to happen, in order to assure you that there will be no war between us for the time being?"
"Having Orys Baratheon located next to our lands was worrisome enough, but he was born in Westeros and he grew up surrounded by the customs of the people here, so we were not duly concerned. Prince Jaenyx is another matter, since he came from the Basilisk Isles and therefore had no exposure to our customs prior to his arrival here. We would ask that Prince Jaenyx's titles and lands be changed for something else, those that are not on our border."
Aerion crossed his arms. "I do not think that you can ask that of us. What Prince Jaenyx enjoys in terms of his lands and authority is a domestic matter, and you have to admit that the farmlands of the Reach will bring an income that will allow my goodson to maintain his princely dignity."
"The same argument can be made for Prince Jaenyx to be the overlord over the former kingdom of the Rock," Princess Meria responded with. "While not as fertile as the Reach, those lands sit upon vast reserves of gold and other precious minerals, which will make his family above any other great house in Westeros besides your own."
"Princess Meria, those lands have already been claimed by others and promises of that sort have to be kept. No promises were made for the Reach."
"I am sure that others will be willing to stake their claim in the Reach as compensation. All we ask is that Prince Jaenyx does not have authority on lands that are on our border."
Aerion sighed. He could not budge on this. "Is there anything else that we can do to ensure that peace can be maintained, Princess Meria? You should understand that promises of land and gold are not sorts that can easily be revoked, not without consequences. The Starks can keep their land, the Blackwoods are the new rulers of the Riverlands, and so on. If my children were to revoke their titles after what they have done for us, our legitimacy will be questioned."
"Legitimacy… how is that still applicable, when you and your dragons turned over the established order practically overnight?" Prince Nymor pointed out.
"Nymor, quiet," Princess Meria silenced her son. "All of those concerns you have, I understand completely. But if you cannot disempower Prince Jaenyx, then I must ask for something else."
"Please tell me, Princess Meria." Aerion was curious as to the alternative choices.
"A treaty be signed between us, which shall last for ten years and in which no armed conflict happen in the marches. I will restrain my bannermen from fighting your new ones in the Reach, while Prince Jaenyx does not commit to fighting against my lords along the border."
Aerion considered that. "A treaty of that nature is not something that I can negotiate by myself, not without consulting my son and daughter, but I am sure that they will be open to the possibility of peace. Anything else, Princess Meria?"
"The reason why we have the marches is because our borders are very undefined. We would like someone to map out the official border so that all misunderstandings on which is Dorne and which is not can be avoided."
"Who do you suggest conduct such mapping?"
"An outsider, for it cannot come from either of us. I know someone from Volantis who is more than eager to do such an activity, without favoring another."
Aerion knew that was utter nonsense, for her mentioning that person meant that she had a prior relationship and thus it would swing the mapping in her favor. "Again, I would have to inform my son and daughter, but I am sure that they will consider that. Anything else?"
"What is one thing that you can do, something that does not require you to consult with your children?" Princess Deria asked Aerion.
"I can discuss trade rights, if that is what you are interested in, Princess," Aerion addressed the Yellow Toad's daughter.
"That is a start, but trading is secondary to our immediate political concerns," Princess Meria said. "While I am pleased that you share the common cause for peace, my priority is for the safety and continued independence for Dorne. Your children's current titles are of great concern because they cannot call themselves rulers of Westeros without all of this continent under their banner."
"You can be sure that we have no intention to fight you at this moment."
"But what about in the future? What will happen when your children are able to build roads, raise armies at full strength, and breed more dragons? Will you come after us?"
"I cannot speak for what will happen in the future, but right now, there will be no war between the dragons and the Martells," Aerion answered.
"How can we be sure of that? Even with the treaty, how can we feel secure if Prince Jaenyx is right on our doorstep?"
Aerion saw that nothing less than Jaenyx being removed from his current titles would satisfy them, and he could not do that. "If what I say is not enough to assure you, then I do not know what else I can do."
"Then… what is to stop a war breaking out between us?" Princess Meria inquired.
"If a war does break out… I pray that it will be swift."
"Do you envision your family winning?"
"I can count the many noble houses that have submitted or have been extinguished to serve as my evidence, Princess Meria."
"But we Dornishmen do not fight by the traditional rules of Westeros, as we come from different origins," Prince Nymor expressed with confidence. "Our words are Unbowed, Unbent, and Unbroken, and should a war happen, we will never bend the knee to you."
"Your determination is admirable, Prince Nymor, but my goodson is not from Westeros either and also operates on a different level. I am sure you know of the infiltration of Casterly Rock and the man who is currently supporting the rebellion of the Reynes?"
"Ah, yes. Everyone in Westeros knows of his raid on Casterly Rock. That does demonstrate daring on his part. And we have heard tell of these Haru men, their background being assassins. But I wonder if both will be enough," Prince Nymor stated.
"Is that a challenge, Prince Nymor?"
"Excuse my son. He usually talks before he thinks." Nymor looked at his mother, confused. "But his sentiments are the same as mine. If you do intend to fight us, your advantages might not serve you as well as you might expect."
"Are you implying that the dragons will not accomplish our goals? If that is the case, you only have to ask Mern Gardener and Loren Lannister, also Harren the Black and King Argilac?"
"Those men understood war one way, but we in Dorne have a different understanding. You have shown that you can defeat overwhelming odds, but we in Dorne never had the luxury of commanding large armies in the field of battle. That made us compensate," Princess Meria said. "If a war does happen, we will not charge head first, might against might. We will ensure that your troops know what pain is."
Aerion was ready to respond likewise, but he realized that if he said one more thing, there would be conflict. "But of course," he calmed down. "This is all just… imaginary. It has not happened yet because we are not at war, and we have no reason to fight you at this time because you were not involved. While we will do our part in ensuring the peace, we will put our trust in you keeping the peace along your side of the border. Right?"
Princess Meria nodded, to his relief. "Of course. While I am not satisfied with the current position of Prince Jaenyx, I will accept peace between us for the time being. I wish that we can hold a summit between us so as to come to an understanding."
"Nothing would please us more. Better yet, you might enjoy a prominent place in the new realm if you behave like Torrhen Stark."
Princess Meria frowned. "We shall not do that, for we are not northmen nor do we listen to the ramblings of a mystic. But if there is equal terms between us, then there shall be permanent peace."
"Indeed. But I shall try to forget that you called Brandon Snow a rambling mystic. He is my daughter's friend and she will not take lightly your insult."
"Thank you. I invite you to stay here for the night. It must be exhausting, traveling all the way from Highgarden."
"I thank you, Princess Meria, but I must be going. I should be able to make it to Storm's End by dusk."
Prince Nymor stepped forward. "We insist, my lord. Let us entertain you, make you committed to peace once you have seen what we have to offer you in terms of entertainment."
"Are you forcing me to stay? Because I do not think that will end well, with my dragon flying outside."
"It is your choice, but we offer you hospitality and we will be offended if you say no. It is just for one night, my lord," Princess Deria said.
Aerion was nervous about what their offer, with the guards around the room not helping matters. However, curiosity got the best of him and in case it was important, he needed to know the layout of Sunspear.
"If that is your offer, then I would like to visit the shadow town first. It is best to see what Dorne really is, instead of what can be seen from the surface."
Nymor and Deria glanced at each other while Meria was amused. "As you wish, my lord. Take some of my guards. You never know what might await you there."
Aerion, so far, was not harmed, but he kept his guard up, especially during his visit to the shadow town and especially during the feast held in his honor.
The shadow town was filled with the wretched sorts that were seen in every town, with whores and vagrants galore and the streets filthy. While Aerion did enjoy Dornish red during the feast, he also kept his guard up, particularly when Prince Nymor offered some Dornishwomen to keep him company in his chambers. Aerion shook his head, as that part of his life was over and he could not leave behind anything that would tie him to the place.
"How do you like Sunspear, my lord?" Princess Deria approached him.
"It is everything that I had expected it to be. But I must be cautious, as everywhere."
"Is it true, that until last year you were without a dragon?"
"Yes. But with my goodson's rituals, I was able to mount one as my own. And I also saw my health improve, for I was quite sickly given my age."
"Interesting. A dragon improving one's constitution. If only my family still had their roots in the Rhoynish water wizards."
Aerion understood what she felt. "Well, you should know that one of the houses that came with Prince Jaenyx are descended directly from the water wizards, a combination of fire and water."
Princess Deria nodded. "Yes, the Rahitheons. They are great builders, right?"
"Very good. Perhaps if we have a peace summit in the future, you can meet the head of their family in the meantime. I am sure that you have much questions to ask them."
"Thank you, my lord. And let that peace summit happen soon. I do not wish for war, when there is so much that we can learn from each other."
Aerion smiled. Nymor was simple-minded while Meria was devious, but Deria had no interest in fighting while still clearly loyal to her family. "I wish for that too."
Deria walked back with Aerion to his quarters. "If possible, may I approach your dragon? I do not want to be burned or make your dragon angry."
"It will be my pleasure, Princess Deria. You cannot respect the power of the dragon without seeing it up close." Aerion dipped his head in respect. "Good night, Princess Deria."
A/N: I hope I did the the whole Dornish setup justice, particularly with Meria, Nymor, and Deria Martell, the three figures that caused the dragons pain during the Wroth. But unlike with Rhaenys, Meria could not dismiss Aerion that easily since they are nearer in age and are both very experienced in negotiation. But man, Nymor came close to messing things up.
The situation with Dorne is ambiguous, with the confusion having enough potential to cause problems down the road.
Next, the siege of Oldtown.