The war with Dorne went on for two more years. The Dornish in vengeance had killed Lord Connington of Griffin's Roost while he was on a hunt, Lord Mertyns of Mistwood was poisoned with his whole family with a cask of Dornish wine, and Lord Fell smothered in a King's Landing brothel. Even The Reach was not spared, assassins falling on the nobles of Oldtown, Three Towers and The Arbor. The Targaryens themselves weren't exempt, being attacked at various times. None of which The Targaryens took silently. Each death was avenged by a dragon. Aegon himself went and put The Tor to torch on the back of Balerion. Vhagar caused similar destruction at Godsgrace. News of Rhaenys no longer taking part in this war had come as a relief to The Dornish, who had thought that Meraxes and her were responsible for the "Six Pointed Vengeance" as some called it, for trying to murder a dragon. Few survived those attacks, and those that did were scarred and only lived long enough to say that dragons had fallen on them. With Aegon and Visenya occupied with destroying Tor and Godsgrace, Saltshore, Lemonwood, Wyl and Sunspear began their own defence preparations. Only to be thwarted when Maelor came on the back of Cannibal and put Wyl down in the same fashion that Aegon and Visenya were doing. With their backs against the wall now, Saltshore and Lemonwood finally broke and they bent. Sunspear remained defiant till the end until all three dragons had come and Meria Martell's own son surrendered their sovereignty.
Nymor Martell was a man well into his sixties with his own health failing and little taste for war. Once word had come to him that All but Sunspear remained in Dorne that had yet to bend the knee, he knew the dragons would come to them and make an example out of them as they had with the rest. So at the first sign of dragons in the sky, he had his men lock his mother in her chambers while he surrendered the castle to them. But The Targaryens' hunger for crushing rebellions was not sated so easily. It was the demand of all three present that Meria Martell is presented before them.
Princess Meria Martell was brought forward, cursing every name that came to her mind. Especially that of her craven son and the demons of Targaryen. "I will not make a Kinslayer out of you, nor will I have you watch this" King Aegon had said to Nymor once the verdict was passed. The Prince and his daughter were taken away, while his mother, the Princess Meria was bathed in black, green and bronze. As big a pain as she was, she had the respect of all three Targaryen siblings. As such, they felt that her death should not be a mundane one. Death by dragon fire was the best choice for them.
As a sign of peace Prince Nymor had offered the hand of his own daughter. The King had two wives, and he was known to say no to any other women that were presented to him. But he had a brother, someone who had gained just as fearsome of a reputation once word of him being the one behind the "Sin Pointed Vengeance" was more well spread. So the proposal was presented to him. Maelor was polite in declining it. Unlike his brother, he was happy with the one wife he had.
The two years that are better known as "The Dornish War" years weren't just about the war. Maelor had married Manfred Hightower's daughter, a pretty maid by the name of Alayne Hightower. She had the looks of a Valyrian, with silver hair, blue eyes and a figure that most women commented was good for bearing children. They married in 11 AC, a few months before Lord Manfred had passed away and his heir succeeded him. Maelor was thirty-seven at the time, and Alayne was barely twenty. But it was obvious from early on that Maelor was very fond of his wife, and his wife was dutiful and fond of him. They had their first child at the beginning of the twelfth year of Aegon's conquest, named Aerion Targaryen after Maelor's father.
As the fates would have it, Aerion would go on to inherit Oldtown through his mother. For when the assassins had fallen on Oldtown, they had killed Manfred Hightower's sons and raped and sold his daughters. Alayne was the only lucky one to survive since she had already been married by then and was with Maelor at Dragonstone. With nobody left to inherit, Oldtown passed to Alayne's children.
Though Visenya is suspicious that Maelor had a hand in this. Her brother had told them of the Hightower influence that would end up causing dragon to turn on dragon. And even with that knowledge, he had been not against the idea of marrying a daughter of that house. When Visenya confronted him about her suspicions, Maelor had just smiled and told her to not overthink things. That there was still a war that needed their full attention. It was neither a confirmation nor a confession. Nor that Visenya minded it, the thought or the answer. A threat was out of the way for them. Aegon and Rhaenys had no such suspicions.
Other than this, in these two years, Maelor had also done extensive work in the city. The coin flowed freely, both from the coffers and from Maelor's personal vault at The Iron Bank. A wall was built around the three hills that were named after Aegon and his wives. It was roughly in the shape of a giant box, the walls meaning to be built tall for defence. Workers were brought in plenty, then divided into two groups. One group worked on the walls while the other on the inner happenings of the city, neither group was small for obvious reasons. The inside of these walls was dotted with manses, arbours, granaries, brick-made storehouses and inns, merchant stalls, taverns and brothels. A graveyard would be constructed outside the walls.
The streets were made spacious, the buildings built with enough space that there was breathing space between them. Hill of Rhaenys and Visenya were where the common folk lived, their houses reconstructed to look better than just the shacks that they were. The second to top level of The Hill of Rhaenys was built manses for the upper class, while the top of The Hill of Visenya would have a grand sept with its seven towers to honour the seven. The bottom of the hills were the houses for the common folk. The Hill of Rhaenys also housed many brothels, the most high-end ones being Maelor's businesses. Maelor had plans for what he wanted to build on the top of The Hill of Rhaenys, but that was an extravagance he'd suggest once the city was on its feet. The Hill of Aegon housed Aegon's castle, named Aegonfort. For the castle, separate builders were being hired, making the building grow around the Iron Throne that had been forged from the swords of everyone that surrendered to Aegon. Roads were constructed to connect all these places, all of which led to the city centre. From the city center, seven roads branched off to the seven gates that would lead people out of the city.
The docks as well were being remodelled to look like proper docks. Fish markets decorated the docks, and quays were built to dock ships. The dock's work was given more importance after the wall, for once the dock was finished being constructed Maelor called on his old contacts from Essos and business came into Westeros from across the narrow sea. And once business from across The Narrow Sea came to The Capital, businesses from all across Westeros began happening through The Capital. A steady flow of coins came into the royal coffers through the taxes and fees of these businesses.
The construction of the walls began late 10 AC or early 11 AC. Construction of the walls finished late 12 AC or early 13 AC. More than ten thousand builders were hired and all of them were well paid. They were then divided and distributed amongst the other groups of construction workers. The construction of Aegon's castle finished in 20 AC, having been started in 12 AC. It was built in the image of a Valyrian Castle, made from black stone. By 30 AC all construction work had been completed. Official accounts state that a mammoth fifty thousand workers had been hired from both all over Westeros and from across the narrow seas. The royal coffers were dangerously low by then. But a steady flow of tax coins and a bit of a loan from Maelor and The Iron Bank had saved them from financial ruin.
By 30 AC The Targaryen family had changed drastically as well. Aegon and Rhaenys had two children, Aenys Targaryen born in 7 AC and Vaena Targaryen born in 14 AC. Aegon and Visenya had one son, Maegor Targaryen born in 12 AC. Maelor and Alayne had three children, Aerion Targaryen born in 12 AC, Valeria Targaryen born in 14 AC and Gwayne Targaryen born in 16 AC.
Aegon kept Aenys close and raised him as the heir that he was meant to be, while Maegor, Vaena, Valeria and Aerion grew up together in Kings Landing. All three boys were taught how to fight by the Kingsguard, while Maelor took it on himself to teach the other two how to do the duties of a Lord. Aerion was heir to Old Town and Maegor would surely be given a keep of his own. Vaena and Valeria were taught the duties of a lady by the septa, Valeria also took notes from her aunt Visenya. She wanted to be more than just a lady, and her wishes were encouraged by her father, at the grimace of her mother. Gwayne was the baby of the family, always attached to the hip of her mother and protected by her siblings.
Aenys would go on to marry Alyssa Velaryon in 22AC. Maegor and Vaena got married in 32 AC, the two of them being very close from a young age. Aerion was installed as Lord of Old Town and married Melaine Tyrell of Highgarden in 33 AC. Valeria married Roderick Stark in 34 AC and Gwayne would go on to die from an illness in 36AC.
That year Rhaenys Targaryen would also die of natural causes, and a year later Aegon would pass away as well. The throne would then pass to Aenys in 37 AC, who was anointed as King Aenys Targaryen, First of his name, King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm.