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

In the Tower of the Sun are the high seats of the Prince of Dorne: two twin seats, one with the Martell spear inlaid in gold on the backrest and the other bearing the blazing Rhoynish sun.

At this moment, the one sitting on the throne with the gold-inlaid Martell spear was a girl. Young, about sixteen years old. She was short, no more than five feet three inches. Olive skin, black hair, and medium-sized breasts; she was very beautiful and had a smile that many might consider casual.

She was dressed in the most luxurious way possible. Flowing silks, yellow with semi-transparent purple tones. Jewelry decorated her fingers, neck, ears, and even her ankles.

Beside the princess were numerous handsome young men; they all served her like a queen.

It was Mara Martell, the current Princess of Dorne.

"Prince Targaryen, I must say this is a surprise." Mara looked at the extremely handsome young man with bright eyes. Everyone likes to see beautiful things; Mara was no different. She had never seen such a handsome man.

"I like to cause surprises," Maekar said with a smile and greeted Mara as one would a true queen. He did not kneel; he placed his hand over his heart and bowed. "Maekar of House Targaryen greets you, my princess."

Mara smiled and liked how she was treated. She thought the Targaryen Prince would be arrogant, but he was surprisingly casual and playful.

"I am curious about the purpose of your arrival, but I must prepare a banquet, lest it be thought that Dorne lacks the manners to entertain its guests," Mara said with a smile and stepped down from her throne. She had gold bells on her ankles that swayed with her movements and rang with a delicate, faint sound.

"It will be a pleasure; I was almost gagging from eating dried meat." Maekar showed a nauseated expression and spoke with a tone full of helplessness.

Mara let out a laugh, reached out, and gently stroked Maekar’s arm. "You are more interesting than the rumors indicate, Prince Maekar."

Maekar walked beside the Princess of Dorne and, with Clarisse walking behind him, asked curiously, "I know rumors tend to exaggerate the further they travel, but surely it wasn’t shocking, right?"

Mara looked at Clarisse with a touch of curiosity but did not immediately ask what the Lady of Starfall was doing with a Targaryen prince. Interrogating a guest so directly was a rather rude act. And since House Dayne was an important house, she would not do anything to offend Clarisse, especially as she was one of the few female rulers in Dorne.

"They said you killed hundreds of men to protect Princess Gael from all the suitors chosen by the Dragon King; they portray you as the man who loved most in this world, as well as describing your cold and bloodthirsty nature. Honestly, it was hard to see who the real Maekar was through the rumors," Mara replied with a sweet laugh.

She led Maekar and Clarisse to the Gardens of the Old Palace. A small oasis full of flowers and trees, as well as a pond nearly a hundred feet wide in the center of the garden.

Sitting on one of the many pink marble benches in the garden, Mara gestured for Maekar to sit beside her. The prince did so, but Clarisse remained behind Maekar, looking at Princess Mara with a touch of curiosity.

"Sate my curiosity, Prince Maekar: what is Lady Dayne doing at your side?" Mara could not contain herself and asked with a voice tinged with curiosity. She waved for a servant to approach and took two cups of Dornish wine, gave one to Maekar, and kept one for herself.

"I want Clarisse as my Lady Commander of the Kingsguard; she has accepted my proposal." Bringing the cup to his lips, Maekar sniffed for a moment and, sensing there was no poison, took a sip and replied with a smile.

Mara’s smile widened. In her eyes, this was a sign of enormous trust on the prince’s part. Dorne was not allied with the Seven Kingdoms, and having an enemy as the commander of one’s personal guard was a very serious matter.

At the same time, she also understood that Maekar was competing for the throne. This made Mara’s eyes light up. A smile appeared on her lips, and she looked at the extraordinarily handsome young man beside her with an amused gaze.

"The princess has a beautiful castle, though it seems like a cage trapping a beautiful bird that should be free," Maekar commented, seeing the beauty of the garden.

Mara’s smile remained the same, and she replied in an even more cheerful tone, "Yes, sometimes it truly feels like a cage; unfortunately, I have no way to break this cage alone."

"A bird should always be free, like a dragon," Maekar replied with a smile.

"But I am not a bird and I do not have a dragon," Mara replied, looking at Maekar with a thoughtful gaze.

"Coincidentally, I have a dragon and an army of five thousand men from House Dayne marching on Sunspear." Maekar looked at the oasis around them and commented casually.

"Unfortunately, I am not sure of the price to be paid for such help." Mara let out a sigh full of helplessness. What she was saying was no lie. Maekar’s purpose was obvious to anyone with the slightest political sense.

"Do not refuse before hearing the terms." Maekar did not fear Mara’s refusal, but he feared she would not even hear his terms.

Mara did not answer. What terms could be more valuable than sovereignty itself? However, she was curious about how Maekar wanted to bring Dorne into the Seven Kingdoms.

"Firstly, like the other Great Noble Houses, you will keep your fief and the entire region. Secondly, House Martell may keep the title of Prince and Princess of Dorne, granted by Queen Nymeria. Thirdly, tax exemption for twenty years. Fourthly, all caravans, merchant ships, and people can travel back and forth to the Seven Kingdoms to practice free trade without any taxes. And fifthly, you will receive the protection of the crown against any pirates and raiders coming from Essos."

Maekar spoke his terms in a solemn tone.

Mara’s breathing was slightly faster. Maekar had given much, truly much; even the title of Prince and Princess remained. Not to mention the other conditions. It could be said it was a very advantageous agreement for House Martell, whether politically or economically.

The Princess of Dorne saw Dorne having an era of prosperity over the next twenty years. Those twenty years were enough to silence all opposition from the Noble Houses of Dorne. In the end, there are no eternal enemies, only eternal interests.

"The prince’s proposal is tempting, but the reactions of the Great Noble Houses upon seeing that House Martell kept the titles of Prince and Princess of Dorne are quite concerning and could cause chaos in the Seven Kingdoms." Despite the temptation to accept immediately, Mara knew she could not make such an important decision so quickly. Not to mention that all the Lords of Dorne would have to be present for such a thing.

Maekar looked at Mara with a smile. "A month ago, I cut off the head of the Heir of Casterly Rock; a month later, the Lord of Casterly Rock died under Vermithor’s flames, before the eyes of the entire realm. Do you think the Great Houses can really do anything because of a title?"

Despite still calling themselves princes and princesses, House Martell would no longer be true princes and princesses, as they would have bent the knee to the Iron Throne. After all, House Martell’s title was still inferior to that of king and queen.

And as long as it was inferior to House Targaryen, Jaehaerys would certainly not mind keeping the titles in exchange for all of Dorne and the prestige it would generate.

Jaehaerys would achieve something that even Aegon the Conqueror had not. This would put him on the same level as the king who founded the Targaryen dynasty.

Mara’s gaze became determined upon hearing Maekar’s words. This was not an impulsive decision; her orders did not leave the Old Palace. None of the Noble Houses answered her call, and her uncle was increasingly impatient with her attempts to take power back.

She had even noticed that the number of guards around her had increased, and the only man she trusted, Jorah, could only control a small number of those guards. In other words, she was a hostage at this moment.

Honestly, if Mara wanted to live a life of hedonism, sex, and parties, her uncle would do nothing to hurt her, but she did not want to live such a life. She was meant to be the ruler of Dorne, not a puppet in her uncle’s hands.

So, instead of dying quietly, she wanted to leave this cage and truly be the ruler of Dorne, even if she had to bend the knee to the Iron Throne.

As for House Martell’s words: "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken." That was a joke in her eyes; no one had ever taught her those things; they had only locked her up her entire life in a beautiful palace.

"Be careful, Prince Maekar; what we are going to do is take power from one of the most dangerous men on this continent," Mara said in a calm tone.

Maekar just smiled; he did not fear Jaehaerys. Who was Mors Martell before the king, if not just a prince who did not leave his name in history?

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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