Chapter 10: They are Only Stories

In the south...

Doran Martell POV

Doran Martell was in the room waiting for his children to arrive. He had to inform them of the proposal he has received from the Tyrells.

He saw Arianne, Quentyn, and Trystane enter. His brother was absent, as always, from these meetings, immersed in his carnal pleasures. He will have to have a discussion with him about this.

"My children. I want to inform you about the future of our House," and Doran saw Arianne rolling her eyes.

"You have something to object, Arianne?" looking at her seriously. Not having time for these little games she definitely wanted to play.

"I didn't say anything, Father."

"As you know, our family always had dreamed to rule the Seven Kingdoms, with a king or queen of Dornish blood. The fall of the dragons had caused an end to that dream." Taking a sip from his goblet with Dornish wine, savoring its taste, because it was the best wine of the Seven Kingdoms, he added, "But it's not all lost. The Tyrell offered us an alliance."

"The Tyrell?" Quentyn chuckling asked.

"Yes, the Tyrell," replied Doran in a cold tone. "Do you have a problem?"

He shakes his head.

"As I was saying before your brother interrupted me," he said while looking at Quentin "The Tyrell proposed an alliance pact to me, to resist to Tywin Lannister's lust for power. Of course, Mace Tyrell will have his plans and I have mine, but this alliance will be forged. And I have already accepted and signed the terms of the treaty, just as they have done."

"May I ask what the terms of this alliance are, Father?" Arianne asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No. But I'll tell you the part regarding you. Arianne, you will marry Prince Willas Tyrell, the heir to the throne. And when you give him an heir, preferably a girl, she will be betrothed to the son of Quentyn, who will become King of Dorne after me."

"No!" Yelled Arianne "I will not renounce my right to the throne!" Doran knew that this would be Arianne's reaction.

"You have no choice. The prince is already on his way to Sunspear with a ship. He'll be here by tomorrow."

"What?" Arianne asked in disbelief. "So you've already done everything behind my back, without even consulting me?"

"Yes." He answered and saw that his daughter was standing up. Approaching him, with her hands on her hips, she said leaning in a treating voice, "If you think that I'm going to sit and look, while you take away my right to the throne, you're wrong. I am the firstborn and I will do all I can to keep it."

As she was about to leave, Doran grabbed her arm, and responded with the same threatening voice, "If you try to ruin this alliance, or hurt the Prince of Highgarden, you'll regret it terribly. "

She pulled her hand out of his grip, and looking at him with anger, she left the room furiously.

" So, father. Who will I marry?" Quentin asked.

"I don't know yet. Who did you have in mind?"

"Daenerys of House Targaryen. I want her."

"It's a little difficult, considering she's married to another man, who's also a king."

"I think we can do something about that. After all, we are Dornish's vipers," replied Quentin smirking.

"And he's a Northern Wolf."

"A weak wolf, who will soon lose his crown. Besides, my contacts tell me that he doesn't want her, and above all, he hasn't even consummated the marriage. That says a lot about his character," replied Quentin smiling.

"Hmm...and who's your so-called contact?"

"It doesn't matter. Well, Father, will you help me take her, or should I do it myself, with my own ways?"

"What you're asking is very dangerous, son. I've never met the boy before and I don't trust your contacts very much. Instead, I trust Oberyn's word and if what happened in Astapor is true, I don't want to have an enemy like that, just because you want to have a Targaryen princess."

"Father. If we have a Princess of Targaryen blood, we would have more rights to claim the Seven Kingdoms," Quentin said with such a passion, believing what he said.

Of course, they were good intentions, but Doran was afraid of the Northern reaction. Yes, the boy's kingdom was under siege from Beyond the wall, but he was still an enigma for Doran, even when he sent all his spies.

"Come on, father. The news about Astapor are exaggerated. Nothing happened there, apart from a few slave skirmishes. The boy bought a hundred Unsullied, and they all started to panic because they are considered the strongest army in the world."

Doran didn't respond, just listening to his son "Daenerys needs a real man like me," said Quentin pointing to his chest, and then continuing with a mocking tone "not a man like him, who prefers to put his cock in the snow rather than between the thighs of a woman like her."

Sighing, he nodded "I'll think. But first I'll have to talk to your uncle. Now go."

After Trystane and Quentyn had left, Doran told his personal bodyguard, "Areo, send someone after my brother. He has to stop his pleasures. The Kingdom needs him."

When Are Hotha left, Dorano began to think about the conversation he had with his son. If they had a Targaryen princess, their claim on the Seven Kingdoms would be easier, and who knows that they may not be able to find any dragon eggs in Essos. But at the same time, he feared that by provoking the wolf, he would ruin his kingdom. A very difficult choice to make. He sighed.

After a while, he saw his brother enter "I hope it's a matter of life or death, your grace because you've interrupted a truly pleasant moment. "

"It is. It's about a very complicated situation" Doran answered and saw that Oberyn took a goblet of wine, sipping and then sitting down.

Looking toward him, he said, "I'm listening."

"I told Arianne that she will soon marry the Prince of Highgarden."

And I'm sure she didn't have a good reaction," Oberyn replied, chuckling sipping from his goblet.

"More or less. But what really caught my attention was Quentin's request."

Sighing and with an annoyed tone, Oberyn asked, "And what request did he have, that hotheaded of my nephew's?"

"He wants the wife of the King of the North, Dae..."

"No! Don't even try it or it will be our downfall."

"But you don't even know what I wanted to tell you."

"Yes, I do. You want to kidnap the wolf's wife, and daughter of the dragon, to satisfy a whim of Quentyn. And I disagree. You don't believe me about what happened in Astapor, and neither do the other Kingdoms. "

"Of course we don't believe them. A 16-year-old boy couldn't have done that kind of thing, it's an impossible story."

"No, it's not. I was there that day, I saw what he did when he freed the Unsullied. I've never been afraid, brother, and you know that. I love the danger... But what I saw in Astapor that day... was something unimaginable, and I see it every night from that moment. You're underestimating him because he has a kingdom under siege and because he's a young king," replied Oberyn getting up and pacing around the room. "You believe that your fortune and because you are from the South, you are better than him, and you can do whatever you want. But you're wrong."

"Quentyn said..."

"Quentyn said...Blah, blah-blah. You still believe him, brother? Forgive me for the tone, your grace, but you know how he is. You spoiled him too much and now he thinks he can have whatever he wants."

"His northern contacts have informed him that the young King is weak and will lose his crown soon. And above all, he hasn't even laid with his wife. This means that she is a virgin, and she is not pregnant yet."

"His contacts? And who are his contacts? I tried to send spies and get information, but the north is more loyal than anything else. As for the boy, he's smarter than you think. His father was a great king, I don't doubt that, but he wasn't cunning, otherwise, he wouldn't have been murdered. He was only a quiet wolf with a hunger for women, considering he married two. His son, on the other hand, is another kind of wolf."

"Okay. Oberyn, we wouldn't do anything about Daenerys, but you should keep an eye on Quentyn because with or without our help, he's going to do something stupid."

"Oh, I will, don't worry." Before leaving, Oberyn turned to him and said, "Do you remember the stories they told when we were children about Theon Stark, the Hungry Wolf? About what he did to the Andals?"

"Yes."

" Good! Never forget that story, because if your son fucks up thing with the North, we are fucked, and our fate will be worse than that of the Andals. And don't think that the 50,000 men at your command can stop a pissed wolf. Only the gods could save you if he were to unleash the hells against Dorne and the other Kingdoms."

With those last words, Oberyn left, leaving Doran to think about the information he got.

Tywin Lannister POV

Tywin was in his office. And he saw Tyrion enter.

"Father. It seems our plan has worked. The princess was kidnapped and Gerion saved her," Tyrion said, putting wine in one of the goblets that were on the table. Tywin was just watching him.

"Of course. There was some collateral damage in this event, but if after this episode the princess does not fall in love with Gerion, and does not hang from her lips I do not know what else would do.

"I've already started to put in motion the other methods I intend to use so that she will fall in love with him even more so that his loyalty will be only to Gerion. I'm sure your sister has taught her well about it. She always thinks she's the smartest one. But we must talk about the future of the Kingdom, and above all break the bonds that are being created between the Kingdoms.

"And I'm sure you have already something in mind, Father."

"Obviously," Tywin replied, with seriousness. "A while ago I discovered that Dorne was negotiating an alliance with the Reach, getting Arianne Martell married to Willis Tyrell. The prince is already sailing towards Sunspear."

"And I'm sure you've prepared a trap."

" Maybe."

"Come on, father. I'm your Hand of the King. You have to trust me."

"Oh, but I trust you. However, I don't trust your whores."

"Father. You really think that I' ll reveal our plans to the four winds?"

" Depends. If you're drunk, yes, I think so," and saw Tyrion look down. He was going to say again but you hear the door knocking, "Come in!" and saw that it was Geryon.

"Your grace" he bowed.

"Gerion. How are things with the princess."

" She' s starting to fall in love, I think, but there's still a long road to go. When will we get married?"

"Soon. As for falling in love, I already have something in mind. But you have to do everything you can to win her loyalty and trust. She must be loyal to our family. To the Lannisters, not the Baratheons."

"Don't worry, Grandpa, I know what I have to do", his grandson said, sitting in a chair and taking the goblet that Tyrion offered him.

His nephew Gerion was just like him when he was young, and Tywin knew that. He was ambitious, ruthless, proud, reckless. Of course, his son is a brave man, and this Tywin will not deny, he is strong and the best soldier and commander in his army. But when it comes to politics, he's not made for that position. And Tywin almost had in mind to change the line of succession, passing over his son Jaime and direct to Gerion.

Standing up, Tywin walked to his studio window and said, "Soon, we will rule Westeros. Our enemies will kill each other, and then we'll end them. First Dorne and Reach. Then the Vale and the Riverlands. I have already planned the diplomatic accidents that will occur between the kingdoms, and that will start wars between them. And your future wife will bring us Stormlands."

"And the North?" Gerion churches.

"I'll strike them with the mighty army of Westeros."

"Are you sure you can beat him? You heard what happened in Astapor."

Tywin was tired of these stories about Astapor. They were just lies, spread by the Northmen, to make the Southern Kingdoms fear the young Wolf King. But Tywin was not as stupid as the other kings, lords, and the Essosi. He did not fall into these tricks.

"Don't get caught up in it. As I have always said, Astapor is an invention of the people of the North, to make us tremble before them. Do not fall into these tricks." As he approached him and putting his hand on Gerion's shoulder, he said, looking into his eyes, "A lion doesn't concern itself with the opinion of a sheep. And you are a Lion. You are the creature overcomes everything else. Fish, Stags, Snakes, Eagles, Roses, Wolves... All of them will kneel before the power and nobility of the Lion, and consequently before the House Lannister."

"And the Dragons?"

" The Dragons don't exist. They are extinct or have buried their heads in the snow." Returning to the other side of his desk, he said to Gerion, "You have to win over your lady. Gerion, you killed everyone in the cave, didn't you?"

"Of course."

"Now go, boy. "

When Gerion left Tyrion burst into a laugh and Tywin gave him a look "I didn't know that the future of our House was something to laugh about."

"No, no... I'm not laughing at the subject, but at how dumb we all are."

Tywin was confused. His son must have drunk too much wine otherwise he wouldn't call them idiots, but he decided to understand what he was talking about "Why dumb?"

"Because we are underestimating the Wolf, Father."

Spinning his index finger over the edge of his goblet and looking inside of it, he said, "Who can assure us that he doesn't make an alliance with the wildlings? If I was him I would do it. 100,000 wildlings at my command, a dozen Giants and Mammoths, That would be a terrific army. Taking a sip from the goblet, he added, "If the boy had that kind of force, good luck in conquering the North."

"Giants and Mammoths don't exist."

" Keep believing that, father. I, on the other hand, believe in it and I also believe in the stories regarding Astapor.

"Oh, I know you believe these stories. You always liked Magic. But grow up. Magic doesn't exist. Dragons, mammoths, direwolfs, giants, White Walkers they are extinct or never existed."

Getting down from the chair and approaching him, he said "Father, the boy is dangerous. Especially with such an army at his command..." he sighed shaking his head, and continued " If we invade the North, we will be massacred. And it will be the downfall of our House."

"Leave the military part to me and you take care of what you do best. "

He laughed, and Tywin was getting nervous about how Tyrion behaved.

"Anyway, my men are war veterans and..."

"Aegon had the Dragons, father. Still, he couldn't get them on their knees."

"I have the numbers. "

"So did Aegon, and yet he didn't break them. His army was slaughtered at the Neck. And the king's bastard brother... Do you know what it was?"

"Of course. A Warg. But they don't exist anymore."

"Really?" Finishing his goblet he said, "Because some little birds from the North told me that the King is a Warg."

"It doesn't matter. Now get out of here. I've had enough of your talk."

"Think about this conversation, Father. " And he left.

It was time for Jaime to leave for the frontier. And it was time to plan the marriages of the other members of the House Lannister with the potential traitors of the neighboring Kingdoms. Of course except for the North. That was a problem. It seems that they only get married between the northern. The only one wich who he could make a deal was Roose Bolton, he was searching for a beautiful bride for Domeric Bolton. But he'll think about that later. Tywin poured some wine into a glass and lined on his chair.

Looking toward the portrait of his wife, he said "Oh Joanna. This world is really dark without you, my love. We haven't spent enough time together. You were supposed to be my queen forever, and instead, you left me, giving your life for that monster of my son. He may have a brilliant mind but his pastimes with the whores are ruining the name of the Lannister. And Cersei...is a disappointment. She thinks she's smart, but she's not, and she has a young lover. A Master, furthermore."

Sighing he took a sip from his goblet. "I must invent something to increase Gerion's legend and reputation so that the wolf will fear us."

In the North...

Daenerys POV

Daenerys woke up the next morning when the morning light was starting to come in through the window. Around her waist, there was a strong hand hugging her tightly. She smiled to herself, knowing that the hand belonged to the king.

But then she felt something hard pointing at her bottom back and putting her hand behind she realized that it was the king's arousal, and she panicked. The heat rose from her core, her heart began to beat quickly, and his arm around her waist did not improve things. Slowly she began to slide out from under his arm, and getting out of the bed, she rushed silently towards the table to put herself in some water.

She heard groaning coming from the bed and saw the king's hand touching the part where she had slept. After a while, he stood up and looked around the room, landing his eyes on her.

Still shaken by what had happened, she looked down, blushing, remembering his arousal pointing to her bottom back.

At that moment he too seems to be aware of his condition and embarrassed he said, "Old Gods. Daenerys, I'm sorry. I don't know..." But he didn't even finish the phrase that he ran away, leaving the room, with the clothes in which he had slept.

Daenerys wanted to run after him, to tell him that it was all right and that it wasn't his fault, because it was something that happens, but she felt petrified. The tears started to fall down. She knew she had overacted.

For every step they took forward, they took two steps back. In this way, they will never be able to move forward. When she returned to her bed, Daenerys sat down with her arms around her knees, waiting for Jon to return. She had to apologize to him for reacting like that. But thinking back, she smiled upon knowing that she had that effect on him.

After what seemed like hours of waiting, Daenerys heard the door open and immediately stood up, thinking it was Jon, but instead it was Arya, his sister.

"I thought you'd already gotten dressed. Well, it's better if you didn't." And she gave her some clothes.

She looked confusedly, not knowing what she wanted.

"Put them on! I don't have all the time."

'What an acid girl' thought Daenerys, then taking the clothes but looking at her, and Arya asked "What?"

"Could you turn around?"

"It's not that I'm a man. You can undress in front of me."

" You make me feel uncomfortable," she snapped. And then Arya turns around, crossing her arms in front of her chest and banging her sole on the ground.

"Have you finished?" asked sighing.

"Almost" Daenerys replied by buttoning her tunic. These were men's clothes, and they tightened a little along her thighs and put too much emphasis on her ass. She didn't like this, because she was sure it would attract attention... But what did she want to do anyway?

Finally, Daenerys finished. "You can turn" and Arya turned "It looks good on you."

"Maybe, but I don't like them. They show up too much of my ass."

"Better. So at least now, when Jon sees you, he'll want to have sex with you immediately."

Daenerys blushed when she heard that and the scene from this morning came to her mind again.

"Let's go. It's time to train."

"Train. But I thought..."

"Jon is busy, and he asked me to do it. Anyway, I'm better than him. Come on!"

It was very strange that he hadn't come to tell her himself.

"Arya, where's Jon?"

"With the Council."

"Already? But he didn't even return to the bedrooms."

"After what happened this morning, he was too embarrassed. He says it shouldn't have happened. But how could we blame him? Sleeping hugging a beauty like you, and especially with his cock pressed to your ass, anyone would have become hard."

Daenerys couldn't believe the language Arya, a princess, was using. But what she said caught her attention. She said she was beautiful. So it meant she really was.

"Arya. Do you really think I'm beautiful?"

"Wow! Slow down. I said, yes, you're beautiful, but don't get me wrong. I'm not saying it that way."

"Of course not. We're sisters-in-law. Only... Lady Cately told me I was ugly and so..."

"That fucking fish is a bitch. Don't listen to her. She just wants to ruin the relationship that's developing between you and Jon. She wants to see him ruined, and if he doesn't have an heir, Brandon will be king."

Daenerys Nodded. And she started to think. She had to get closer to the king and not jump at his every touch.

Arriving at the courtyard, Arya said, "Get into position." And she gave her a wooden sword.

"It's heavy."

"It's as heavy as it takes to make you strong."

Daenerys took it with two hands."

"No. Daenerys, with one hand. This is a one-handed sword. Ice is two-handed. A great sword."

But when she held it the point of the sword falls to the ground "But what if it falls?"

"The sword is the extension of your arm. Will you let your arm fall?"

"No."

" Good! First lesson. Stick them with the pointy end. That's what Arthur always told me...and Jon."

Daenerys gave her a smile.

"You're right-handed, right?" and Daenerys nodded. "So that means you have to stay on left guard. Foot forward. Now I'm going to start attacking you."

The sequence I'm going to do is Left side, right side, from the high and last a direct attack" Arya said and showed her the relative defenses.

When he began to attack slowly, Daenerys tried to parry and was always late.

"You'd be dead already. You need to parry faster."

After a thorough training Arya said "You're good and you learn fast. You won't become a warrior monster, but you'll get away with it. Of course, there's still work to be done before that and that's why from tomorrow we'll be training for three hours a day."

Daenerys nodded and heard someone clapping, looking up she saw it was Jon, and she smiled.

Maybe he wasn't angry with her after all. He nodded and gave her a smile, then left with her father.

As she was heading back to her room to take a bath, she realizes that he must have seen her in these clothes. And that brought a smile on her lips. She will never admit it, but feeling his hardness on her ass, she really liked.