Robert Baratheon, Lord of Storm's End, rebel against the Iron Throne and conqueror of the Seven Kingdoms sat upon the Iron Throne, his throne, or soon to be his, since he had yet to be crowned king. He had to wait, he had wanted to wait, until his friend, Eddard ' Ned' Stark, the Lord of Winterfell, would return with his sister. He would not have the crown placed on his head without them present to witness it. That was... that was before Eddard's last raven had reached him with the devastating news.
By the gods, he had wanted to go himself, to finally free his beloved Lyanna by himself. But Jon Arryn had stopped him, held him back, arguing that it would be unwise to leave the capital city so soon after his victory. He wanted to rage even more, now that he knew that his beloved would never return to him. He would kill Rhaegar a thousand times if he had the chance to. Revenge for death of his beloved Lyanna. But it was no use, Rhaegar was dead, as was Lyanna, and the war was over.
He had defeated the damn dragons, chased them from their throne after he had killed Rhaegar Targaryen in single combat. He had his revenge for all the injustice that had been done to him and his best friend. He had justice... but he was not happy with it. Too many Targaryens had escaped. And he wouldn't stand for it. He wanted to see the House Targaryen extinct, purged from the history books as well if possible. Oh how he hated them. Them and all those who had aided them.
"Be reasonable, Robert," Jon Arryn chided his former ward. He had fostered both Robert and Eddard, raised them to be good men. But all his good intentions, all his teachings meant nothing to Robert, not as long as his anger was still overruling all reason.
"This war is not over until the last of that vile house are purged from this land. By the gods I shall kill them myself!" Robert snarled angrily.
"The Seven Kingdoms will not follow a child killer. We have fought against a mad king, it is not our intention to replace one madman with another. And the deaths of Princess Elia and her son have already tarnished your reputation enough, Robert!" Jon said, as he looked sternly at the young man on the throne. He prayed to the gods that Robert would see reason. The deaths of Elia Martell and the infant Aegon Targaryen had already caused an uproar and many Lords that have fought for King Aerys were still ready for an all out rebellion that would tear Westeros apart. Not to mention that several of their own supporters had been apalled at the brutality shown by their new king and his ruthless allies. Though it was not Robert who had killed Elia and Aegon, but Tywin Lannister, the death of Rhaegar's family was still blamed on the man some lords already called the Usurper. Robert's indifference towards the deaths of the mother and her babe also threatened his friendship with Eddard, who abhorred the brutality of their deaths.
"As long as those Targaryen live, there will be no peace. I've made my choice, we will march towards Dorne as soon as my army is ready!" Robert said with a hint of finality. But he wasn't the only stubborn man in the room.
"March to Dorne and you will only find death. Is one small girl really worth your throne and the fate of your house, Robert? The Targaryens tried to conquer Dorne and not even their dragons could win them the desert. Don't be a fool to believe that you will fare better than Aegon the Conqueror."
Finally Robert seemed to think about his chances. Jon Arryn was right, everyone knew the stories about Aegon's war, how he conquered all of Westeros. All but Dorne... Aegon had his dragons and a vast army from all of the other kingdoms he had subdued before. And he? Robert knew that his army was tired of fighting. All his men now wanted was to get back home, to return to their families and tell the stories of their victories under the united banners of Baratheon, Stark, Tully and Arryn. Leading them into the desert could end in a revolt... and his untimely death.
"So what do you propose? Let Rhaegar's girl live until she is old enough to open her legs and spit out sons that will challenge the rule of my House?" He looked angrily Jon, but he knew that war was not the best option now. Especially not while he was still at odds with his best friend.
"Let me go to Dorne and negotiate with the Martells. The Targaryens won Dorne through diplomacy and marriage alliances and we need to do the same. Peace is the only solution, Robert. We have suffered enough." Jon cautioned the young man.
"Marriage! Don't you dare suggest any such thing! I won't spit on Lyanna's memory by marrying some wanton whore from Dorne just for the sake of peace. I'd rather go to war, at least I could die fighting, my hammer in my hand, and be reunited with the one, the only, woman I will ever love!" Robert shouted outraged.
"It does not have to be you and there are other young women much better suited as your queen."
"Did you not listen? I said that I won't marry whatever whore you bring before me!"
"And your throne? You will be crowned king soon and you will need both a Queen and an heir. Without an heir the whole realm will descend into war and madness as soon as you are dead. You have a responsibility. Don't throw all of that away. I don't ask you to fall in love, but you need an heir, the sooner the better." Jon pleaded, as he hoped that he could appeal to Robert's sense of duty. Robert had always been dutiful as a young boy, eager to his parents proud, after their untimely demise... but the war had changed him... as had Lyanna's death.
"And who do you propose?"
"The best choice would be Cersei Lannister. By marrying her we would tie House Lannister to the throne and gain you a very powerful ally. With the Lannisters and their gold on our side there would be only few who would oppose your rule. Not even Dorne with their dragon princess."
"Lannister? I wouldn't go anywhere near a Lannister woman, even if she were the last cunt in all of the Seven Kingdoms. And isn't that very girl's brother the reason for Rhaenys Targaryen's escape? Fuck the Lannisters and their gold. And fuck that ruthless bastard Tywin Lannister!" Robert said angrily.
"Tywin always wanted his daughter to be Queen and she would be a good match. Jaime Lannister's actions are even more reason to bind House Lannister to yourself. You must do it, before the Kingslayer convinces his father that the girl as queen would benefit the Lannisters more. Be reasonable, Robert."
Robert let out a frustrated shout, as he gripped his hammer and ran towards one of the large dragon skulls near the throne. The skull splintered under a heavy attack, causing small pieces to fly into every corner of the room.
"I will be king, no I am the king already! Why should I be king if that means that to keep the throne, I am neither allowed to wage war, nor am I allowed to choose whom I shall marry? I thought being king is about doing what I want, not what you tell me to do!" Robert whined loudly. Jon knew that he had won this battle of wills, but he also knew that Robert was not happy. Far from it. But now they had to make decisions that would help them keep the throne. "I will not love that woman!"
"I never demanded that of you. Just marry her and get her with child a few times and your line will be secured." Jon conceded. "Other than that you may do as you please."
"Fine, fine. Now leave me alone with this. I dearly need a drink now. I have to be drunk to survive being married to a Lannister. The gods must truly hate me!" Robert said, as he looked around for some wine. But Jon Arryn was no fool and had all the wine removed from the room before this meeting began. He knew that Robert would be impossible to deal with once he is drunk. In his drunken state he would only think about killing men with his hammer or stabbing women with the lance in his breeches.
"I shall travel to Dorne then, as soon as Eddard is back in King's Landing." Jon said after some moments of silence.
Robert snorted when he heard that, "Why not leave now?"
"Because you need someone with a good head on his shoulders near you, to make sure that you don't do anything foolish."
"I don't need a minder!" Robert protested in annoyance.
Jon shook his head, a small smile on his lips as Robert's reaction reminded him of the young boy who had come to the Eyrie to be fostered, not the battle hardened soldier who would soon be king after loosing despite winning the war.
"You both need a minder. You are reckless and Eddard's righteousness will cost him his head one day, if you are not there to make sure it stays attached to his neck. All of us will rest easier, as long as the two of you stay close to each other..." He paused for a moment, as he looked intently at Robert, "And you would be well advised to keep your friendship with him untarnished. Don't allow your obsession with the Targaryens to ruin the best thing you have in your life, the friendship with the one man who would never betray your trust, no matter what happens. As long as you and Eddard stay united, you can master everything." And with this last admonition he finally turned around and left the throne room.
Robert watched silently as the man he considered a second father left the room. Only when Jon was gone, he let out his frustration once more. He threw his heavy hammer against the remains of the skull he had cracked before, letting out all of his frustration in one loud roar, which could likely be heard in all of King's Landing.
He knew that Jon Arryn was right. He knew it and he bloody hated it. Jon was always right, that's why he had decided to name him Hand of the King and not Eddard. Jon would make the right decisions for the kingdom, keeping it safe, while he would be drinking himself into an early grave. That reminded him.
"Wine! Your new king demands wine!" He yelled loudly, hoping that the servants would hear and obey. He would have to make good use of his time, once Eddard was back, he was sure that his friend would scold him for drinking too much. Not that it would stop him, but Ned could nag even worse than Jon. Despite Jon's last admonition, in his mind there was no doubt that Ned would forgive him and maintain their friendship. After all Ned was the brother he had chosen for himself.
Weeks. It had taken them weeks to get to the Water Gardens, the princely palace of Dorne, on the other side of the desert. It was an arduous journey, but a surprisingly calm one as well. Jaime didn't know what he had once expected Dorne to be like, but what he saw was a desert that was still so full of life.
Rhaenys had also opened up more and more with each passing day, but she was still far from the happy girl Jaime remembered. But time would heal even the wounds on her young soul and she would be stronger after all of this. She even started to talk to her uncle, Oberyn, though she was still wary of the man, much to Jaime's amusement. He was the first and only person she seemed to trust after her family's demise and Jaime actually felt proud about that. He had the full trust of his princess, something that no one else had.
And the day they arrived at Water Gardens the young girl's eye had been as big as saucers, as she looked around in wonderment. There were many other children, more than she had ever seen in her short life before. All of them were playing together in the magnificent pools of the palace. Children from rich and poor families, playing together, escaping the heat of the desert sun.
She wanted to go to one of the fountains the moment Jaime had heaved her down from the horse she had shared with him, but her fears quickly got the upper hand again, so she clinged to her knight, hiding herself behind his legs as some of the other children and other people had started to look at the group of newcomers with great interest.
Her cat, Balerion, though, had no such qualms. The little pest was not at all happy about traveling so far on horseback, since it meant for him that he had to stay in a saddlebag, suffering even more under the heat than his owner. But Balerion was much more resilient than Jaime and Oberyn had expected. And much to Rhaenys' joy the kitten not just survived the long trip, but it also never failed to antagonize any man who strayed to close to the princess. The only exception was Jaime, who was allowed near the princess, but who would end up with bloody scratch marks if he dared to touch Balerion. And now the little kitten amused the princess once more, as it ran over to a fountain and started drinking the water greedily.
Servants started coming their way, stable hands to take care of the horses, others to bring their belongings inside. All worked quickly and efficiently, not spending any more moments in the midday sun than necessary. Jaime was impressed, especially when he compared the servants to those in King's Landing, who were often replaced and punished for their sloppy work. King Aerys had wasted more servants in the few years that Jaime had been in the capital, than Casterly Rock had in total. So it was no wonder that they had a hard time finding good workers for the Red Keep. But Jaime quickly shook these thoughts out of his mind, unwilling to think any more about that bloody city or the Mad King.
"Come, my brother awaits us. It is considered rude to let the ruler of Dorne wait." Oberyn said, as he waved Jaime and Rhaenys over.
They followed a long and winding path, paved with pink marble, the same as most paths and places here, until they reached a small terrace. The place was overlooking some of the pools and fountains, shaded by blood orange trees. There sat a man, who looked like an older version of Oberyn, though Jaime couldn't deny that the man had an almost imperious aura surrounding him, as he watched the group approach without showing any emotions on his face.
Jaime could see several opened letters and other papers on the table before the man, as it was obvious that he had been working here and not in some dusty office somewhere inside the palace. Oberyn was the first to approach him and the man stood up to greet him with a friendly, albeit courtly short hug. Oberyn whispered something into his ear, before both men parted again.
"May I introduce, Doran Nymeros Martell, Prince of Dorne and Lord of Sunspear." Oberyn said with a hint of pride in his voice. Jaime allowed himself another short moment to study the man, before Oberyn continued, "And this, brother, is our niece, Rhaenys Targaryen and her protector, Jaime Lannister, son of Tywin and heir to Casterly Rock."
"Come here, dear child," Doran said, as he looked at Rhaenys. But the girl was even more wary of him, than she was of Oberyn at first. But who could fault her for that, while Oberyn at least had some form of humor, Doran looked like a stern man, grown old before his years. Rhaenys looked at Jaime for guidance, something that had not escaped Doran's notice. Only when Jaime nodded and motioned for her to go, she started walking towards her uncle, albeit with great reluctance. "You look so much like your mother at that age. She, too, was such a beautiful child. And just like her, you will grow into an even more beautiful woman one day."
"You know my mommy?" Rhaenys asked carefully, her voice barely more than a squeak.
Doran allowed himself a smile in front of the child. A sad smile, as he thought of his dead sister. The ravens had brought the news of her death much quicker than the messenger that had ridden day and night to bring him the news of his niece's survival. They had not dared talking about Rhaenys in a raven message. Raven's could be shot down and their messages stolen. So one man of Oberyn's group traveled faster than all others and brought the news about Rhaenys to Doran. After the devastating news of Elia's death, it gave him some solace to know that at least one of her children survived the slaughter in the Red Keep.
"Your mother was my younger sister, Rhaenys. I loved her dearly and would have done anything to keep her safe. But the Seven have decided to take her from us. But you, my dear niece, you will grow up protected by all of Dorne. You will be raised as a true dornish princess." Doran said calmly, as he tried to sound trustworthy and caring to the girl. "Oberyn, please send for Arianne's Septa. She shall take care of Rhaenys as well."
By now Rhaenys had quickly returned to Jaime's side, where she felt the safest. "Don't worry princess, this is your uncle. He won't harm you, ever." Jaime assured her, as he knelt down to be on her eye-level. "This is your home now."
"Will you stay with me?" Rhaenys asked, obviously afraid that he would leave her alone now. Alone with these strange people that said that they are her family. But she had never seen them before, so how could they be family?
"As long as your family permits it, I will stay with you and keep you safe." Jaime wasn't stupid, he knew that it was important for his own future to be allowed to stay in Dorne. He was the safest here, far away from King's Landing and the rebels. Even his father's name would not be enough to protect him from their wrath for protecting a Targaryen. And now he was the only person that Rhaenys trusted fully and as long as she wanted him to stay, Doran would not try to get rid of him. He wouldn't dare estranging his niece by sending her protector away.
"He won't leave any time soon, dear niece, don't worry." Doran said reluctantly. He did not like the fact that Jaime had somewhat forced his hand in this. He had no intention to let the Lannister heir go, but that didn't mean that he would allow anyone to make his decisions for him.
A short time later Oberyn returned with a Septa in tow. The woman was looking quite young, but the way she approached and talked to Rhaenys showed, that she already had more experience than Jaime had expected of her... but if this was the Septa that also cared for Doran's firstborn daughter, then everything should be alright. When the Septa tried to take Rhaenys away, though, the girl was still reluctant to leave her knight.
"Go with her, princess. I will find you once we are done here." Jaime told her. But Rhaenys still looked unconvinced until he pushed her gently towards the woman. Oberyn stayed with Doran and Jaime, as all three men watched the Septa leave with her new charge. Only after they were out of sight, the men started talking again.
"Sit," Doran ordered, as he gestured to the chairs on the opposite side of his table. Though Jaime was wary, he still complied and sat down, Oberyn quickly following and taking the seat next to him. "I have received the grave news of what has happened in King's Landing a few days prior to your arrival. Your family has done a great injustice to mine, Ser Jaime. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't have you executed and your head sent to your father as a warning to never attack a member of House Martell again." Doran said, his voice now cold, steely, all friendliness he had shown in front of Rhaenys gone as if it had never been there in the first place.
"Rhaenys trusts me and only me at the moment. And I have sworn to protect her, no matter if the enemy is Robert Baratheon, my father... or you." Jaime said, his eyes narrowed as he stared at Doran.
"Rhaenys is still young, she would forget you ever existed in given time. And Dorne is full of aspiring knights that would be willing to fight and die for her."
"If you have already figured out that you don't need me, why am I still alive?" Jaime asked in annoyance.
Oberyn laughed as he heard Jaime's retort. "A valid question, Doran."
"As I see it," Jaime said, "You need me. I am Rhaenys knight and she won't trust you ever if you do something to harm me. And I am the heir to Casterly Rock. Alive I am much more valuable to you. And as an ally I would be invaluable. You would be foolish to kill me for something that I had no hand in, especially when I defied my father to safe your niece, the future Queen of the Seven Kingdoms."
"Do not overestimate your worth, young Lannister. Here in Dorne we care little for the rest of the Seven Kingdoms. I wouldn't care about all those other rotten houses of the realm, had they not killed my beloved sister. You did us a favor by saving Rhaenys, but we will not stop here. I want justice for what has been done to Elia, to see all those punished who had a hand in her death. That includes both that self proclaimed new King Robert Baratheon and your father."
"Justice will be done," Oberyn agreed. But his main targets wouldn't be Robert Baratheon or Tywin Lannister. No, he wanted Gregor Clegane, the man who had raped and butchered Elia. He wanted to force a confession out of him, before he killed him slowly, painfully, just like he had killed Elia. Killing Tywin after that would only be an added bonus.
"Do you understand that, Ser Jaime? Would you be able to see your father die for his crimes? Would you make it happen, so Rhaenys can sit on her throne? Look me in the eyes and tell me that you are willing to fight Tywin Lannister and all of his family that stands on his side, all for the sake of my niece, your future Queen!" Doran voice grew louder with every passing moment, the insistence and threat in his words become dangerously clear.
And Jaime... he didn't know what to say. Would he be able to go against his family? He was abhorred by what his father had ordered his men to do, how he allowed his soldiers to kill, loot and rape their way through the streets of King's Landing. How he had allowed the fighting to continue, even long after the King's death. Tywin was all that Jaime wished to fight against as a knight... as a true knight, like Ser Arthur Dayne... And deep down he knew that he could fight against his father, if he had to...
"My father... deserves the justice of a trial at least..." Jaime conceded reluctantly.
"Fair enough, trial or not, death is what he will find in the end. We would even be merciful towards your sister, a kind of mercy that your father has not shown Elia." Doran said.
"My sister? She had no part in all of this..."
"Your sister is the new Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. Your father has married her off to Robert Baratheon to gain more power. As if the murder of my sister and her son wasn't enough." Doran muttered angrily. In fact her wanted all Lannisters dead for what they had done. But Jaime could be a very useful pawn in his plans. It would be kind of poetic to see Tywin Lannister brought to justice, not by a Martell or any other Dornishman, but by his own son. It would be the greatest revenge he could hope for.
Jaime was shocked when he heard that. His twin sister, beautiful Cersei Lannister, married to that blood thirsty rebel turned king. He didn't know what to think about that... he loved his sister dearly and did not like the fact that she had been married off by their father like some cattle... and as Queen she would be opposed to what he had sworn to do. Rhaenys would be Cersei's adversary once she has grown up. He knew that he would never be able to see Cersei killed, but he had sworn a new oath, one that he wished to keep...
"Swear to me... swear that no harm will befall my sister and I will swear my allegiance to Rhaenys and protect her until my dieing breath." Jaime said. He knew that once this oath had been sworn, he would have to fight for Rhaenys and the Martells until the very end. Escaping King's Landing had been a miracle, escaping from this place would be impossible. And he did not want to be remembered as an oath-breaker.
"Your sister will not be a target, unless she decides to be our enemy." Was all Doran replied. But Jaime knew that he wouldn't get much more from him. It was plain visible that Doran hated all Lannisters and that he was only tolerated because of Rhaenys.
"Then I will swear to be Rhaenys' sword and shield, to protect from harm until the day I die." Jaime proclaimed somewhat proudly. This wasn't like the day Ser Arthur had knighted him, but one day this meeting would be remembered as the beginning of Rhaenys' Targaryen's legacy. And the beginning of the legacy of her white knight.
Oberyn slapped Jaime's shoulder roughly, laughing as he did so. "Now it'll be up to me, to make a true Dornishman out of you. You've got a lot to learn about how we fight here. And much more if we want to make a true lord out of you." In the past weeks he had seen a side of Jaime that he had not expected from a Lannister and he could easily admit that he saw no problems in making him one of them. He was sure that he and Jaime could find a sort of friendship after some time, but first he would have to beat the boy bloody and make him understand that life in Dorne is not as forgiving as it is in his beloved homeland.
"Don't kill him yet, Oberyn," Doran said somewhat amused. But Jaime knew that Doran wouldn't care all that much about his survival. Not yet. He would have to make himself invaluable to Dorne to achieve that. "But making a lord out of him is important. If we wish to get your father's bannermen to follow you instead of him, we will have to make it clear that you are the future of Casterly Rock and the Lannisters. You are no longer a Kingsguard, so you no longer have any excuse. You will need a wife and an heir soon. A woman from a loyal dornish family."
"I..."
"Yes, I know the right girl for that. Around your age and further from the west, so she won't look too dornish for the distinguished tastes of a Lannister. Allyria Dayne would be a good match. Yes, a very good match indeed." Doran mused.
"Dayne? You mean Ser Arthur's youngest sister?"
"Yes, or are there any other Dayne's that I do not know of?" Doran asked sarcastically.
"Don't be too harsh on the boy, he is one of those dreamers that glorify Ser Arthur as the perfect knight. Young Jaime here seems to worship him like a hero!" Oberyn said, chuckling at Jaime's expense once more. The young Lannister seemed to be an endless source of amusement for the younger of the Martell brothers.
"Then you won't like to hear that Ser Arthur is dead..."
"What?" Jaime yelled in shock, he jumped up from his chair, knocking it over in the process. His actions had gathered the attention of many children and servants that were near the pools, not far from their terrace.
"Dead. Eddard Stark killed him about two weeks ago. And that righteous bastard even had the decency to bring Ser Arthur's remains and sword back to his family at Starfall. Ashara Dayne did not react all too well to those news and threw herself off a tower in her grief..."
"The poor, poor woman. They said she was in love with one of the Stark brothers, but the Tullys already had their claws in him the moment Brandon Stark died. She deserved better than that. She deserved better than an unrequited love to a man who would eventually kill her beloved brother..." Oberyn muttered sadly.
"Great disaster has befallen House Dayne recently, so this marriage will also stabilize them as well. We will send for Allyria and have you two married before the next month." Doran said finally. He left no room for objection. Jaime knew that he had in a way switched houses, his allegiance turning from Lannister to Martell, but he had not expected to be married off so soon. He knew his father would have married him off years ago, had he not joined the Kingsguard and taken the vow of celibacy. But that now another man made this decision for him... he felt like a pawn again. Only this time he was a pawn in another man's game. A game for the Iron Throne of Westeros.