House of The Dragon:The Rise of the Emperor of the Seven Kingdoms

Maekar’s words silenced Davos and Clarisse; they had not expected such a direct answer from the Targaryen prince.

"I wish you good luck, my prince," Clarisse said in a calm tone. Although there were only a few days left, rumors of the Great Council had already spread everywhere. Maekar in Dorne proved only one thing: that the prince wanted to bring Dorne into the Seven Kingdoms.

And, honestly, Clarisse was happy to see it. The amount of tax that Starfall suffered was enormous. And even with the port, ships still had to pay a tax if they wanted to enter the waters of the Seven Kingdoms.

Thirty percent of the profit vanished by the time it returned to Starfall; it was legalized theft. It wasn’t just Starfall; all the other fiefs suffered from it as well. This generated discord among the nobles of Dorne, and the idea of becoming part of the Seven Kingdoms was not as unrealistic as before.

The Fourth Dornish Invasion of Prince Morion had been a great blow to Dornish pride. No longer possessing the miracle arrow that killed Meraxes, they discovered they simply did not have the strength to fight House Targaryen.

The humiliating defeat, without killing a single man of the Targaryen forces, was a kick in the stomach to House Martell and all the forces of Dorne. It also showed that Dorne was no match for House Targaryen, which had used only the army of House Baratheon...

Another thing that displeased the Dornish nobles was the growing fortune of the lords of the Seven Kingdoms. The King’s Road had opened routes throughout the realm, allowing travel from city to city, village to village, which made money circulate in the realm much more easily, causing the lords to enrich themselves like never before.

Corlys Velaryon had opened new sea routes that contributed even further to the wealth of the lords of the Seven Kingdoms.

It was no wonder that Jaehaerys’s reign was known as a Golden Age. It was not just for the peace, but for the wealth his government generated.

As the saying goes: if you compare yourself with others, it will always leave one side sad and full of envy.

Seeing their neighbors’ fortune growing while theirs diminished was worse than being stabbed in the back by one’s own wife on their wedding night...

"My prince, if you are going to Sunspear, be careful with Mors Martell; he is a cruel and cunning man. Even after Princess Mara came of age, he did not return power to the princess, but still lives in the Old Palace," Clarisse said in a heavy and even more solemn tone.

Like the Seven Kingdoms, Dorne also faced a possible civil war. Although Dorne accepts women as queens, it did not mean a woman’s life was easy, especially for a female ruler. There was always someone who was not satisfied with bowing to a woman.

And in Dorne’s current political scenario, the lords were more than satisfied with Mors being Prince of Sunspear rather than Princess Mara, who had never truly ruled anything.

Maekar heard Clarisse’s words with a bright gaze. This was what he wanted; only when Mara felt desperate could she truly consider his proposal.

"Thank you, I will remember this favor, Lady Clarisse," Maekar spoke in a solemn tone.

A smile appeared on Clarisse’s lips; she let out a laugh and nodded. "I will collect on that favor, Prince Maekar."

Then, Clarisse showed a hesitant expression, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated to speak. Maekar noticed this and spoke in an amused tone. "Go ahead, my lady, I have some time to rest."

Since he had seen Clarisse, he already knew this woman’s personality. A powerful warrior who liked to challenge others. What would any Sword of the Morning do to consolidate his or her prestige in Dorne and across the continent?

Maekar had heard nothing about Clarisse, so the young woman was still wandering through Dorne, challenging any knight of prestige she encountered.

"May I have the honor of dueling you, my prince?" Clarisse asked in a solemn tone.

Maekar’s response was to stand up and unsheathe his sword. He stepped away from Bahamut and spoke to Clarisse. "I noticed you were looking at me with a strange gaze. I thought you had become enchanted by me, but it seems you only wanted to duel me. This saddened me, my lady."

Laughter rang out among Clarisse’s guards, and even Davos showed a smile. They looked at the Targaryen prince with a different gaze than before, no longer with the suspicions from earlier.

Noticing this, Clarisse showed a deep look. She was not stupid and had been thoroughly trained to be a qualified lady. With a mere joke, Maekar had managed to make the guards and even her uncle show goodwill toward him. This charisma was terrifying.

Of course, it would also be a lie if she said she wasn’t fascinated by the prince’s charisma herself. Even with few words, she discovered there was no disdain in his gaze after seeing she was a woman.

That alone would win him Clarisse’s goodwill, not to mention it was interesting to talk to him.

Standing face to face, Clarisse gripped the hilt of her sword and unsheathed it. The sword came out of the leather with a sharp sound and the sun’s rays glinted off the blade. A milky glow shone, and the blade itself seemed to be made of light for a moment.

Maekar also unsheathed Blackfyre; the Valyrian steel sword also glinted in the sun with a smoky glow. The ruby on the sword’s hilt looked like a small red sun under the hot Dornish sun.

Clarisse’s eyes grew excited seeing Blackfyre; there were few swords that could collide head-on with Dawn. Blackfyre was one of them, and she would be the first Sword of the Morning to fight a wielder of the legendary Blackfyre of Aegon I Targaryen.

The soldiers around also recognized the blade and were equally excited. It was like seeing the legendary duel of two important figures.

The moment both their swords were unsheathed, the aura of both changed. Maekar showed a cold and indifferent expression; Clarisse showed a solemn and determined one.

They looked at each other for a moment, and Clarisse attacked first. She was fast. Very fast, her sword leaving only a faint flash in the air.

Maekar defended with a cold expression. Sparks flew as the two blades met; the prince did not hesitate and struck back with a vertical cutting motion, which Clarisse defended.

This lasted for several minutes; both attacked and defended, each strike and parry seeming extremely fast. Whether Clarisse or Maekar, both were knights focused on speed, but as a man, Maekar still had a clear advantage in a duel against a woman.

Both attacked with all their strength, but anyone could see that Maekar had the advantage in the duel. He had never moved from the spot where he started. Always maintaining an upright posture without openings. Aside from a little sweat on his forehead from the heat and the intensity of the battle, he seemed perfectly fine.

Clarisse, on the other hand, was panting and sweaty. In a battle, the stamina of the duelists was the most important thing, as stamina ran out very quickly. The reason for this was very simple: both sides did not want to die and fought with all their might.

This was exactly why, on the battlefield, killing two or three men already considered you an elite knight among elites. Killing the enemy is never easy; no one wanted to die.

Although they were not on the battlefield, Maekar and Clarisse spared no effort in the fight. However, neither aimed at each other’s vital points. Otherwise, Maekar would have ended the fight in the first thirty seconds instead of defending himself.

"I lost," Clarisse spoke, letting out a tired sigh. As an experienced swordswoman, she knew better than anyone that Maekar had numerous chances to finish her and, if it were on a battlefield, she would be dead by now.

"Do not underestimate yourself, Lady Clarisse, you are incredible," Maekar said in a sincere tone. Clarisse was about eighteen or twenty; there was still much room for growth. He could even see that Clarisse could fight against Ryam and even Daemon.

"If I become king, come be my Lady Commander of the Kingsguard," Maekar said with a smile, causing not only Clarisse but everyone around to widen their eyes.

The legendary Order of Knights, created by Queen Visenya, gathers the best of the best from the continent of Westeros to protect the king!

It might not seem like much, but they were extremely famous and the dream of every boy who grew up hearing their legends.

Knowing that Maekar wanted Clarisse to become the Lady Commander of the Kingsguard was simply shocking, especially with Clarisse being Dornish.

Clarisse was breathing heavily; being the current Sword of the Morning of House Dayne showed how hard she had worked to become a powerful knight. Maekar was giving her the stage to present herself to the entire continent. She would be the first woman to hold such a position, as well as the first woman to command the Kingsguard.

"If the prince becomes king and does not despise me, I will accept," Clarisse spoke in a solemn, almost sacred tone.

Davos’s expression changed, but seeing how determined Clarisse was, the words in his mouth could not be spoken.

After all, joining the Kingsguard meant giving up everything: titles, fief, and even the right to have children or a relationship.

Maekar smiled with satisfaction. The trip to Dorne was not yet over and he had already gained something very good from the journey.

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/GOTSW

Read my other books:

House of The Dragon: The Pale Prince

Game Of Thrones: The God-Emperor of Planetos

Percy Jackson: Godwyn the Golden.

Game Of Thrones: The King’s Court Wizard