Elia Martell leaned against the side of the ship as it sailed into the new harbour of Fair Isle. According to the sailors, it was a new addition to the island. Previously most sailors had docked at Fair Castle and its own port before moving over land to the various towns and villages scattered around the isle.

The port of Doradus, named by House Terra when they had begun building it over a year ago, was arguably the most well-made dockyard in the world. Elia had heard from passing traders and merchants of how it rose from the water, made not of wood, but of stone and steel. Much like most of the rumours, it was largely dismissed by many who heard them, thinking it to be stories spread by the house to exaggerate their own capability, but Elia took many of the fantastic rumours of her once prison as fact. She had also, over the last few moons since her return to Dorne, been trying to convince her brothers to do the same.

It seemed that they would have no choice but to believe her now. Already several of the lordly passengers aboard their vessel were chattering and gossiping as Doradus came into view. Elia only briefly mulled over the strange name. After all, House Terra had an odd penchant for them and names mattered little when compared to what they had built.

"So, the rumours were true after all."

Looking to her side, Elia watched Oberyn and Doran look out with her to the massive docks they were approaching.

"I did tell you to take more heed to news coming from Fair Isle." She replied

"Indeed, you did dear sister, but it's strange. So much stone and steel, all to make a dock? Why use it this way, and where in the world did they find the ore to make this?"

"Does it matter?" Doran asked. "The important part of this is that they have it at all, and have the builders necessary to make something like this. Braavos at least will be chomping at the bit to discover even a tenth of what made this possible, and with all the House Terra has done in the East these last few moons, seeing this might push the children of the Titan further into their arms.

Ah yes, House Terra's expansions into the East. Now that had come close to being a catastrophe. Oh, few had mourned the passing of the slavers amongst the Westerosi. Most everyone disliked the practice of slavery, at least as the Essosi participated in it. Still, to conquer the territory of three of the famous Free Cities had caused a hither to unheard uproar amongst not just the merchants who traded with those cities, but also the newly established royal dynasty.

Robert Baratheon's seat at the head of the Seven Kingdoms was by no means rock solid. For all that he had the nominal control of most of the kingdoms in the north, both the Reach and Dorne bucked his authority as much as they could.

Elia herself had been against this, and her last few moons had been filled with near constant fear that some lord or other might rise in rebellion restore the Targaryen Dynasty. Thankfully, though there had been problem with tithes, taxes, and tributes being paid towards the capital, there had been no uprisings, and therefore no interference from the fearsome warriors of the West.

With the expansion of House Terra into the east however, and more than that, their taking of the disputed lands and their cities, the dynasty had come up to its first real challenge.

Jon Arryn; the hand of the king, had called both Lord Kurt and Lord Tywin to King's Landing, demanding explanations from both vassal and liege lord. Lord Kurt had already sent a message, apparently detailing some trouble with eastern pirates raiding their shores, but how such troubles had led to a full invasion of another continent was something that apparently needed clarification.

As he was wont to do, Lord Terra had arrived first, long before Lord Tywin, and had plead his case, not to Lord Arryn, but to King Robert himself.

Standing before the Iron Throne as the new king had heard his explanation, Elia knew only rumours in regards to the outcome to the lord's presentation. Apparently, King Robert, Lord Arryn and Lord Terra had retired to a private study at the old falcon's insistence.

No one knew what exactly had been discussed by the three men, but whatever it was, by the time Tywin Lannister had arrived for his own meeting near two weeks later, King Robert was feasting Lord Kurt and congratulating him for a job well done, whatever that job might have been. According to even more rumours, both Lord Arryn and Lannister had spent that particular feast, the last before Lord Terra returned to the Plataea, looking as though they had both eaten nothing but raw lemons.

Since then, royal forces had maintained some semblance of presence and control in the former Tyrosh, Lys and Myr, but few were fooled into thinking that they truly held them. House Terra was in control, and they exercised it with an efficiency that was near brutal in its discipline.

Elia had gone to the now newly controlled city of Lys some time ago, and found the place near transformed, even after only a few moons of new governance. The streets were clean and well maintained as always, but the pleasure houses that had once dotted every street were gone. Instead, there were new trades and practices, and men and women who were once no doubt bound in chains walked freely, holding heads up high.

Of course, Elia had also heard of what had happened to those old slavers and masters who had once held authority in those cities. Most of the largest slave holders had died, with their properties either seized by House Terra or distributed amongst their former slaves. What few remained after the first purges had been reduced to destitution and either released, where they had then been hounded and usually killed by their former property, or had fled as far as they could.

It was said that some part of the old Lyseni magisters had regrouped in Volantis, bargaining with their Volantene counterparts to grant then safe harbour and to shield them from House Terra's growing reach.

Whatever was happening in the east, Elia had not the time to speculate. The princess quickly smoothed her dress and made her way to the plank that had been lowered to allow the Dornish nobles to disembark. She and her brothers were amongst the first to leave their ship, surrounded by guards. Elia had debated bringing her children with her, but had decided that having them out of her sight was less dangerous than bringing them back to the lands of the house that had deposed her family from their throne.

Quickly, Elia bit down on the small burst of resentment that those thought brought. It would do her no good to dwell on what she and her children had lost. Rhaenys and Aegon were alive, and would lead full lives as princess and prince of Dorne. Let Robert Baratheon have the throne, she thought to herself, there would be time enough to reclaim it in the generations to come.

Trying the shake those thoughts free, the princess instead allowed her eyes to roam over the assortment of nobility that had joined them on their journey.

The wedding of a former queen was a momentous one on any occasion. However, Rhaella's marriage; as the queen of a deposed royal dynasty with two living heirs who were the children of the last reigning monarch, had drawn nobles who had not deigned to attend even the nuptials of the current king. Case in point, more than two dozen houses of Dorne were present to attend who had not come to Robert's wedding, as were many houses of the Reach. Numerous other loyalist houses from the rebellious kingdoms had made the journey as well, and Elia wondered how many of them felt considering Rhaella would be marrying into one of the chief houses of the rebellion.

Whatever their feelings, they made their way down the docks, drawing curious gazes from the many smallfolk who had made the port their place of work. Wheelhouses were made available for many of the noble ladies who had made the journey, and horses were brought for the lords to ride. Oberyn climbed up into the saddle, while Doran joined her in her own wheelhouse, especially ornate as was appropriate for a princess. Doran's gout had only become worse in the last year, and more than once Elia had thought back to Lord Kurt's offer of remedy for her brother's condition. It, much like his offer of new teeth for Oberyn, had not been commented on since that day when she had finally seen Lord Kurt's temper flare, and she wondered if it ever would be. Looking out the window, she banished those thoughts, for they would do her no good.

"How long do you think it will take to reach the Plataea?" She asked instead.

The castle's size, something she still had some trouble believing, meant that even at the coast, they could see some part of it rising above the horizon in the distance.

"I do not know. Likely not too long given the size of the island. I doubt we will have to make camp for more than a night if at all."

As it turned out, they had not had to make camp at all. The route from Doradus to the Plataea was well made and maintained, long and straight and made of some queer substance that made the rock a deep grey-black colour that Elia found herself staring at. There were clear demarcations, which they learned on the journey separated the road into different directions of travel. On side headed towards the Plataea, the other to Doradus. The markings looked almost painted on, but Elia disregarded the notion. Such paints would need to be regularly reapplied, and what lord would waste time and money on such a thing.

The castle itself rose just as mightily as she remembered, looming tall and casting the lands around it in its shadow. Luckily with the sun setting, the gloom draped opposite to them, and they entered Onyx without having to pass under the great castle's shadow.

Men and women greeted them, contingents assigned to guide the nobles of each kingdom and see them settled. The group that was set aside for the her family and fellow Dornish smiled and gestured for them to follow behind.

Elia was surprised to find that unlike her last stay in the great castle, she and her fellow nobles were not led into the castle itself. Instead, their guides brought them to another set of large buildings, still tall and looking to be well made, but not nearly so tall as the seat of the lord of the land.

"Is this some form of insult?" Asked one of the other lords in their retinue.

Elia recognised him as Lord Drinkwater, who rode under the banner of House Yronwood.

"You expect us to sit idle and tolerate this? That we should not be given rooms within your lord's castle?"

The guides exchanged glances, looking nervous, but not afraid.

"I'm sorry milord." Said one of their guides. "I'm sure Lord Terra meant no disrespect. All the lords are to be housed in these buildings. I've not heard of any being brought to stay in the Plataea."

"No one not of the house or its guard goes in." Said another woman. "No one save the children they've been training."

Elia remembered seeing children when she had been held here four moons ago. She had recognised some of them as the children in Lady Jane's household who had disappeared when she had still been serving Rhaella in King's Landing. Still more strange was the idea that no one was being housed in the Plataea.

"Each house had been given their own floor to stay on." The lead man said. "House Martell has the highest floor, and any other groups and retinues may be set up as your lordships wish."

"I'm sure our accommodations are more than satisfactory." Elia interrupted Lord Drinkwater, who looked like he was about to say something more.

"House Martell is grateful for your lord's courtesy. Please inform him that House Martell would also wish to speak with the bride to be at her earliest convenience."

The man looked relieved as she spoke, bowing gratefully.

"Of course, milady. I'll pass to message along."

It seemed that Elia's satisfaction with the accommodations had silenced any further complaints. There was still some grumbling, specifically from some of the prouder Dornish houses who still believed that they had somehow been relegated to inferior quarters, but no one complained openly.

Once they entered their lodgings, much of that dissatisfaction disappeared. Doors appeared to be thin sheets of glass with polished handles, leading into an expansive and heavily decorated area. It was open, with windows and doors leading out of the building on each side. The walls in some places seemed also to be made of glass, and looking up from the outside, Elia could see that the use of glass for windows continued even on the upper floors.

The interiors were almost as lavish as the outsides, with plush soft chairs and longer couches scattered around fireplaces and tables, likely for groups to sit and mingle.

Doran was handling the servants, and Elia stayed with him enough to see the kitchens, stocked impressively with goods both raw and preserved. There appeared to be ice chests, and even a room below the kitchen stocked and kept cold for the purpose of keeping foodstuffs chilled. Elia watched as one of the cooks they had brought from Sunspear walked around the area, looking utterly stupefied and commenting in wonder about how just a few of the cold rooms might make preparing and preserving food in Dorne easier. Elia made sure to note down their points, and possibly bring them up with Rhaella and Lord Kurt if she could.

Once the kitchen staffs were settled, chattering excitedly to themselves about how they might use their new quarters, Elia joined Oberyn as he commented on seeing the rooms they had been provided. At first, he complained about the number of stairs that they would likely need to traverse given their rooms were at the top of the building, but Elia had assuaged his fears, recognising something from her last stay in Lord Terra's castle. This elevator, as he had called it, looked different. It did not have doors of solid metal, but instead had a grate door with a handle that she could pull with some effort.

On the inside, there was buttons, each marked with numbers. Ushering her brother and their retinue she handed them each a piece of paper, of which there were many slotted next to the door, which explained in some detail how the elevator worked. Skimming through the instructions, Elia was glad to see that there was room for many people; she guessed that perhaps twenty or thirty men could stand shoulder to shoulder and not be uncomfortably crushed against each other.

Slotting the door closed, as she had read it was done with the Night Watch's own elevator at the wall, she quickly pressed the button for the top floor. There was a slight start, which caused those with her to flinch, but soon they were ascending to the top of the building.

As soon as she stepped out of the elevator, followed by her brother and their household, Elia saw some of the servants wobble slightly on their feet. Looking around, she saw two corridors, going to her left and right, each with more than a dozen doors that she assumed were rooms for herself, her family, and their retinue.

Each of the rooms were largely identical, lavish and well furnished, though there were not enough for all the servants and guards to have their own. Even then they were more the fit to hold entire families, so there was little complaint from their retinues.

Oberyn grumbled slightly, looking for something to vent his frustrations on, but Elia knew there was little to be disappointed by. The rooms had the same luxuries as her's in the Plataea had, with running water of various temperatures coming from various basins. She made sure to remind herself to have their guides explain the how some of the stranger appliances; such as the lights and the 'toilet' as the Terras had described it to her, worked. Reclining on one of the lounging chairs, she looked out of the ceiling to floor window and admired the view, which featured verdant farmland for miles around, broken only by the massive structure of the Plataea itself.

Oberyn grunted behind her.

"The rooms appear satisfactory, though I still find it insulting that Lord Terra would not open his own halls to us."

"These accommodations are a significant improvement over those I had within their castle." She returned. "He did mention that all the rooms of their seat were rather less than lavish."

"So, we are to assume that a castle of that size has so little room for guests, or the appropriate furnishings for noble visitors. I doubt it."

"At least what our guides said about the other kingdoms it true."

They both turned, seeing Doran hobbling in with his cane. Accompanied by Areo Hotah, his ever vigil captain of the guard.

"Some of our more adventurous countrymen have gone off wandering while we settled in. They came upon the camp of the Vale lords first, and found it was largely the same as our own accommodations."

"Largely the same?" Asked Oberyn.

"The Vale's lodgings apparently have some similarity to the way they build their own homes. From what we can gather, the grounds for each kingdom are styled after them, instead of being uniform."

"I've noticed that this building allows for much sun to pass through these large windows." Elia noted, gesturing to the floor to ceiling window that all but made up one of the walls.

"No wonder they took the Three Daughter." Oberyn said. "They must have had them working night and day these last few moons to make this much glass."

"Yet it is finer than any glass I have seen from Myr." Doran observed. "Just this window is clearer than the myrish far-eye in Sunspear. The glassblowers must have discovered some new method of creating glass to make such large panes with this degree of clarity."

"I do not believe that the Myrish are fully responsible for this." Elia spoke up from where she was sitting.

"In the Plataea itself, there is a massive dome of this clear glass, granting quite the view, but protecting them from wind and chill."

"Perhaps we will get to see it then." Oberyn muttered. "If they deign to allow the princes and princess of a kingdom into their homes."

"Quiet Oberyn." Doran admonished. "I will not have you stirring trouble within these walls, at least until we are sure that every word we speak is not being spied."

"Very well brother, but I will be exploring this town. It looks half a city already, and where there are cities, there are brothels to be explored."

"I swear mother left you with too long a length of rope." Doran mused as the youngest of the siblings sauntered out of the room.

Oberyn's swift departure left the two older siblings together, only the stoic form of Areo Hotah breaking their privacy.

"You believe this wedding will occur without incident?" Doran asked.

"No one can afford for it to go any other way." Elia responded. "Least of all Rhaella. I may not be a prisoner here anymore, but she is, and so are her children."

Doran nodded.

"When word reached us of Princess Daenerys' birth, I wondered if it was a blessing or a curse. A daughter has no claim to the Iron Throne, and does not threaten your children. However, she does not weaken the rebels' position, not does she have any claim to wage against Robert's."

"I thought you did not wish to speak of this where we might be overheard."

"I merely state facts. It is not treason to acknowledge all that the princess' birth has brought, and I have already given my word by gods and men that Dorne will not rise for any Targaryen that is not your children."

"And I will not have you rise for them either." Elia said, eyes flicking around the room looking for any space they might be watched from.

"I know. Dorne will not cause problems for the new dynasty. I merely wished to speak with you on another matter."

"What is it Doran."

"I have considered speaking with Lord Terra on his supposed cure for my gout."

Elia's eyes shifted down to her brother's legs before returning to his face.

"Oh. I thought you had forgotten."

"No Elia, I have not. I have put it out of my mind. I do not wish for pity from my enemies, nor do I believe their aid will be without some conditions."

"Then what has made you change your mind?"

"I hear how the lords speak of me, even if it is behind my back. A cripple, weak. That is what they call me."

"You are not weak, nor a cripple."

"I know that, but I also know that while I will never be weak, this gout will eventually make me into a cripple. Everyday it grows harder to walk, and I cannot lift weight as I once could."

Doran's eyes grew sombre.

"Once I could carry Arianne in my arms, or upon my shoulders. I could walk through the gardens with Mellario or climb the steps of the Spear Tower or the Tower of the Sun. Now, I can do none of those things. I can hold my son only so long as I sit in a chair, I am losing the ability to move under my own power. Day by day I grow weaker, I can feel it."

Doran held his cane in his hands, looking over the polished surface engraved with decorations of bronze and gold.

"I have no desire to place us further into the debt of House Terra, and I know that they have wronged our family, you most of all. Before anyone else, I feel it is right to consult you, and gain the approval of my sister."

Elia gave her brother a soft smile.

"You have it. Enthusiastically. If this can lead to you regaining something you desire, then you do not need to fear my reproach. Oberyn however, will likely take it as an insult to our honour."

"Then it is good that I am the Prince of Dorne." Doran said. "I consult you because you have been wronged, Oberyn has no such reason to object."

Elia chuckled.

"I'm sure he'll protest either way."

Together the prince and princess sat, watching as servants brought trunks and chests of Elia's belongings and set them throughout the room. They worked largely in silence, but Elia could see the sparkles of excitement in their eyes as a few of them whispered of retiring to their own rooms, likely just as lavish as Elia, Oberyn, and Doran's.

Eventually, Doran left her to ensure that the other lords had settled well into their respective lodgings and mitigate any squabbles over their places. As the day wore on, Elia prepared herself, expecting that since the lords of the realm were present for a wedding, they would be feasted with the Lord and his bride. No invitations came, and Rhaella did not come and meet her.

It struck her as odd, but from what she had gathered from the servants there had been no movements or celebrations at the other camps, so she was reasonably sure they were not being excluded or rejected. Instead, a dinner of hearty beef and vegetables with bread and spices was brought up by the kitchens. Served from a rolling table with plates and cutlery so pristine she could only assume they were new; Elia enjoyed the food.

Even without a feast, Elia did not eat alone. Ashara, for her friend had chosen to also attend the wedding, had decided to take her own meal with the princess. Young Edwyle was still at Starfall, not yet old enough to travel such a distance without the aid of the Terras' air ships.

Elia knew that her friend was missing her son, but had decided to come if for no other reason than the fact that Eddard Stark and his own lady wife were both known to be attending. She knew that Ashara had no intention of causing a scene with the Starks, but she wasn't sure that the feelings would be mutual with the new Lady Stark. None the less, the two women ate and conversed, sharing laughter, and speaking on Rhaella's wedding. The two had taken part in the event's planning, but that had been moons ago, and mostly they had created a list of traditions that were common in Westerosi weddings across the Seven Kingdoms. The two had little clue as to how much of their discussions with the former queen had actually become part of the wedding that was taking place.

The sun set over the horizon, bathing the two in the dying embers of daylight and providing them an admittedly spectacular view of the sky, but the dark of night eventually encroached, and Ashara bid her farewell and a good night before retiring to the rooms allotted for House Dayne.

The plush bed called to her, but Elia stayed awake a little bit longer, seeing lights emerge in the distance from New Currahee, Onyx and the Plataea itself. They burned brightly in the darkness, like the stars in the night sky but different.

Finally, the late hour and exhaustion called out in their siren song, and Elia Martell allowed herself to drift off into sleep, resting her head against a soft pillow and a warm set of covers to bring her warmth.

Long update time but not the longest. Chapter was supposed to be 2 separate points of view but Elia's became too long and I broke it up into 2 chapters. This does delay the wedding a little bit more but not by much and I hope to have it finished by end of May, beginning of June.

The Port of Doradus is a reference to the system that Onyx is in; the Zeta Doradus System.

I did kind of fast forwards through a lot of UNSC changes in the conquered territories of Lys, Myr and Tyrosh, but I kind of had to because focusing on it would mean expanding on those few months and delaying the Rhaella/Kurt wedding by like a dozen chapters. I can always summarise it later in another chapter if people are interested.

Next 2-3 chapters are the other POVs before the wedding, and then the Wedding itself and 2-3 chapters of aftermath. Then we move on to the next group from the poll I did previously which was foxtrot/wildlings. Don't worry, Kaella (Kurt/Rhaella, let's see if it catches on) will still appear, and Rhaella will slowly go from a medieval noble lady to a 26th noble lady.

Also, since the fic began people have asked if any other Halo factions will appear. I want to just clear it up. No other Halo ships/characters are coming to Westeros.

PS. I think I've stated it before but just to restate it (or first state if I haven't said it) the UNSC Plataea has a crew compliment of about 4 thousand people, 1 thousand spartans, 1 thousand ship security/army/support, and 2 thousand navy. I based this off of the UNSC Infinity which was said to have a crew of about 8-9 thousand. I've recently done some research on real world warships and found both numbers are woefully inadequate. for example. the USS gerald ford; the largest aircraft carrier in the world in service, has a crew of about 5 thousand and is 3 hundred meters long. Comparing volumes, the UNSC Infinity is over 3 thousand times larger than the Gerald Ford and so, even if we quarter it for the Plataea, should have a crew to reflect that. I don't want to go back and give the UNSC the numbers to straight up outpopulate entire regions of Westeros, but I did just want to put out that information.