Chapter 122: The Dragon's Shadow Over Dorne
In Sunspear, Prince Enrik of Dorne, clad in a brocade robe and a sapphire belt, flushed with anger when he learned that Daemon was coming with dragons and an army from the Three Daughters across the Narrow Sea.
He clenched his fist and slammed it onto the long table.
"Does Daemon think he can conquer Dorne like he conquered the Triarchy?"
"The Dornish will kill dragons and Dragon Knights just like they killed Princess Rhaenys and Meraxes!
The Sea Snake's wife is also named Rhaenys; fittingly, she will meet the same fate as the last Rhaenys who invaded Dorne."
During Daemon's conquest of the Three Daughters, Prince Enrik had at one point wanted to send troops to support the Three Daughters, but the Westeros army from the Stormlands and the Reach had begun attacking the Red Mountains, plundering villages in the Red Mountains.
The Ironborn Fleet and the Arbor Redwyne Fleet also periodically sent troops to raid the Dornish coast.
Prince Enrik had no choice but to order the lords of the coastal regions to lead their residents to the inland areas, where a large number of displaced Dornish people lived in the deserts and mountain valleys.
Enrik's son, Prince Qoren Martell, the heir to Dorne, wore a dark brown silk robe and calmly said, "Father, it is rumored that Daemon became a sorcerer-prince in the Three Daughters, and he can use some kind of magic to control dragons, which is why Daemon swept through Tyrosh, Lys, and Myr like a whirlwind."
"The Reach and Stormlands armies are already eyeing Prince's Pass and the Boneway, and Daemon has brought the Valyrian Fleet, Ironborn Fleet, Sistermen Fleet, and the Three Daughters Fleet, a vast armada, to the Stepstones.
Dragons and the enemy's fleets could attack Sunspear at any time.
Since Queen Nymeria burned the ships, Dorne's naval power has been weak.
Please forgive my bluntness, but facing Daemon and the dragons, as well as enemies from the Reach and Stormlands, we are simply unable to win.
Surrender is our only option."
During King Jaehaerys's fiftieth anniversary celebration, Prince Qoren Martell had once disguised himself as a singer and visited the court in King's Landing.
He had close contact with Daemon and Prince Viserys of House Targaryen then; at that time, Daemon and Viserys were still only princes.
Now, Viserys has become the Prince of Dragonstone, and Daemon has become the King of the Three Daughters, having conquered Myr, Lys, and Tyrosh.
Coupled with King Jaehaerys the Conciliator, who is on his sickbed, and the Prince of Dorne ruling Dorne, it's no wonder many singers jokingly call today's Westeros the era of "Four Kings Ruling Together."
Prince Qoren Martell knew very well that the so-called four-king rule could not last for too long, but unfortunately, the stubborn Prince Enrik could not see this point.
Prince Enrik rose from his soft chair and glared at his son, "You want me to be a surrendering prince?
The Dornish have never retreated, even when Aegon the Conqueror and his two whore queens, with Balerion, Vhagar, and Meraxes, invaded Dorne, the Dornish were not afraid.
Daemon and his whore queen, plus the Sea Snake's wife, their dragons combined are still not as good as Balerion the Black Dread."
Prince Qoren said, "If Daemon can truly control dragons with dark magic, then his dragon army will undoubtedly be stronger than Balerion the Black Dread.
Moreover, Daemon's three young sons all have dragons, though their dragons are still very small.
Daemon named the black dragon he gave to his eldest son Black Dread, and it is said that the black dragon's scales and eyes are identical to Balerion's."
Prince Enrik snorted, "No one can control dragons with magic.
This must be a rumor deliberately spread by Daemon, a baseless exaggeration to frighten the newly subjugated residents of the Triarchy.
Qabac mentioned in his letter to me that Daemon and his supporters have fabricated many lies."
"Governor Karbak has already been recruiting soldiers in Volantis; they will sooner or later reclaim their cities and lands.
As long as Daemon dares to attack Dorne, his army will be bogged down in a quagmire of war, dying in the deserts and valleys of Dorne.
At that time, the Three Daughters will be militarily weak, and the Archons of the Triarchy can return with their armies.
Volantis, Pentos, and Braavos will all send troops to help the Triarchy restore their nations.
Once Daemon's fledgling kingdom of the Three Daughters catches fire in its backyard, he will have to flee back to the Three Daughters with his tail between his legs."
Prince Enrik had always admired his ancestor, Princess Meria Martell.
When Aegon the Conqueror attacked Dorne with dragons, Princess Meria was the ruler of Dorne.
At that time, she was already eighty years old and corpulent.
She led Dorne in resolute resistance against the Targaryen and the dragons, and ultimately, House Targaryen suffered losses and was forced to withdraw.
Now, facing the formidable dragons and armies, Prince Enrik undoubtedly dreamed of replicating Princess Meria's success.
Qoren showed a bitter smile, "Most of the Archons of the Triarchy's Supreme Council were executed by Daemon; only a few, like Karbak, fled to Volantis, Pentos, and other places, seeking refuge.
They became exiled nobles.
Father, back when Myr, Lys, and Tyrosh were strong and well-armed, occupying the Stepstones, they still suffered continuous defeats before Daemon.
Now they have been driven out of their homelands by Daemon and can only live under others' protection.
How can they possibly reclaim the Three Daughters?"
In the Dornish court, Prince Qoren had received nobles, captains, and others from Myr, Lys, and Tyrosh many times.
While there were indeed many outstanding individuals among them, compared to Daemon, they were mere chickens and dogs, which is why the Triarchy crumbled before Daemon.
Prince Enrik's voice gradually rose as he said, "The Triarchy is Dorne's ally."
Prince Qoren sharply pointed out, "A group of defeated allies, exiled allies, conquered allies.
What's more tragic is that even though these allies have lost their homes, not a single Archon of the Triarchy has fled to Dorne for refuge, because these exiles know that Dorne is no longer safe.
After Daemon conquered the Three Daughters and built a powerful dragon kingdom in Essos' Heel, Dorne became the dragons' next target."
At that moment, a silvery laugh rang out, "Haha, Qoren, if you are so afraid of dragons, how will you rule Dorne in the future?"
Princess Nymeria, Qoren's sister, walked in, her sand-brown silk dress rustling.
Her black eyes sparkled with mischief, and her jet-black hair cascaded like a waterfall to her waist.
She had long, slender legs and a tall figure.
Although Princess Nymeria was not yet married, she had already had many lovers.
Dorne was the first place where the First Men landed in Westeros.
The First Men had once established many ringforts, villages, and small kingdoms in Dorne.
After the Andals' invasion, Andal civilization and the culture of the Seven Gods flourished here for a time.
However, what most profoundly influenced Dorne today were Rhoynar customs.
After Queen Nymeria led her Rhoynar people wandering across the world for many years, they finally arrived in Dorne.
The Rhoynar blood made the Dornish passionate, warlike, and open-minded.
Princess Nymeria was named after the legendary Queen Nymeria.
Nymeria proudly said, "The Rhoynar did not yield even when facing the powerful Valyrian Freehold.
Prince Garin led the Rhoynar allied army and bravely fought against hundreds of dragons.
No matter how many dragons Daemon has, can he have more than Valyria?"
Prince Qoren suppressed his anger and looked at Nymeria, "Prince Garin commanded over two hundred and fifty thousand Rhoynar soldiers back then.
Does Dorne have that many troops?
Moreover, even with such a large army, facing the hundred dragon legions sent by the Freehold, the Rhoynar army was annihilated, and the Rhoynar civilization in the Rhoyne River basin never recovered."
The Rhoynar allied army assembled by Prince Garin had once achieved continuous victories, making Volantis and Valyria tremble.
However, when Valyria sent an unprecedented hundred dragons, the overwhelming dragonfire turned the land into scorched earth.
Some Rhoynar warriors jumped into the Rhoyne River, hoping their mother river would protect them, but the Rhoyne River boiled under the scorching heat of the dragonfire.
Tens of thousands of Rhoynar warriors either perished in dragonfire or drowned in the river.
Princess Nymeria did not care about the tragic fate of the Rhoynar army.
She said, "As long as we implement a scorched-earth policy, Daemon's army will suffer a crushing defeat.
Dorne can, like Prince Garin of Chroyane, achieve lasting fame by resisting dragons."
Princess Nymeria kept many handsome singers as male consorts, and she learned all her history from these singers.
Prince Qoren understood that Princess Nymeria clearly mistakenly viewed Garin as a legendary hero.
Prince Qoren said solemnly, "Sister, do you know what happened to Prince Garin? Prince Garin was captured in that battle where hundreds of Valyria dragons went to war.
The Volantis and Valyria Dragonlords imprisoned Garin in a golden cage and took him to Chroyane, Garin's city.
The Dragonlords threatened that Garin would witness the consequences of resistance, seeing his people enslaved and his city destroyed with his own eyes.
Prince Garin claimed he would summon the Rhoyne River to retaliate against the invaders, which was met with ridicule from the invaders.
As a result, that night, Prince Garin cursed the invaders, begging Mother Rhoyne River to avenge the people who died by the invaders' blades."
"That night, as darkness enveloped everything, the Rhoyne River suddenly swelled out of season, and an unprecedented dense fog descended from the sky.
The dense fog contained evil slime, and the Rhoyne River waters instantly submerged the walls of Chroyane.
The Valyria Dragonlords tried to escape on their dragons, but in the mist, the dragons' wings seemed to turn to stone, and they all plunged into the raging waves of the Rhoyne River flood."
"To this day, many singers and Red Priestesses still believe that the souls of the fallen Dragonlords still wander in the Rhoyne River basin.
The former Fire Lords can now only wander under the misty waters, shrouded in shrouds.
Their breaths are scalding, forming a cursed mist when they encounter the river water, and Garin has become the Lord of the Shrouds."
Princess Nymeria made a face, "At least Garin, by resisting the dragons, left his name and legend in the long river of history, which is much stronger than those who only retreat in front of dragons.
Dorne can certainly defeat the dragons and defeat Daemon and his Westeros army."
Prince Qoren said gloomily, "Dorne has the smallest population among the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros.
Facing dragons and the Iron Throne army, we can contend with the enemy relying on the desert and the heat.
But against the Iron Throne and the Three Daughters, plus the dragons' army, what chances do we have?"
A hint of anger seeped into Nymeria's tone, "Do you want to bow down and beg Daemon for surrender?"
Prince Qoren said, "I want to save Dorne from a tragic fate.
If we choose to confront the dragons head-on, Dorne will become a land of corpses and ashes."
Then Prince Qoren turned to his father, Prince Enrik, and said, "Father, please send me to negotiate with Daemon."
Prince Enrik took a deep breath, his jaw clenched, "If you want to go and grovel, seeking peace with a servile attitude, I will never allow it.
That would tarnish the reputation of House Martell."
Prince Qoren said, "I am going to negotiate, not to beg for peace.
Father, negotiation can at least buy us time.
You can take the people and migrate to the desert for refuge."
A few days later, on the Stepstones' Viper Island, Prince Qoren met Daemon.
Daemon wore dark red armor, Caraxes stood beside him, and Dreamfyre and Meleys soared in the sky.
Looking out at the sea, there were ships everywhere: galleons, supply ships, oared warships, and longships.
Many ships flew the silver seahorse banner of House Velaryon, as well as the banners of Myr, Lys, and Tyrosh.
Prince Qoren was greatly shaken by Daemon's powerful fleet.
Prince Qoren showed a gentle smile towards Daemon, "Prince Daemon, the last time we met in King's Landing, you were still Ser Daemon of the Blackwater.
It's only been a few years, and you've become the King of the Three Daughters.
Your conquest has achieved extraordinary success.
Since you have already obtained the fertile and prosperous Three Daughters, why do you covet the lands of Dorne?"
Daemon said proudly, "Because the Dornishmen murdered my father, Prince Baelon."
Prince Qoren burst into laughter, "When you set out to conquer the Three Daughters, you also used the pretext of avenging Prince Baelon.
Now that you have conquered the Three Daughters, the Dornishmen have become the murderers in your words.
If you march on Volantis, Pentos, the Great Grass Sea, and Braavos in the future, then I believe the Archon of Volantis, the Prince of Pentos, the Khal and Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, and the Sea Lord of Braavos will also become the murderers of Prince Baelon."
"Prince Baelon's death has become a mystery, but I can responsibly tell you that Dorne is not the culprit.
When Aegon the Conqueror invaded Dorne, the Dornishmen also adopted assassination tactics.
At that time, in King's Landing, we assassinated many court nobles.
Queen Visenya formed the Kingsguard to prevent assassinations against the Conqueror and royal family members.
Whenever an assassination succeeded, the Dornishmen would boast about it.
But after Prince Baelon's death, no Dornishman came forward to boast, which can only mean that his death had nothing to do with Dorne."
Daemon rubbed his sword belt, "Even if it was truly the Dornishmen who assassinated him, no one would dare admit it.
Once I conquer Dorne, I can naturally uncover the truth.
Prince Qoren, you have already seen my fleet.
This is only a very small part of my vast fleet.
At Driftmark, Myr, Lys, Tyrosh, Oldtown, Gulltown, Lannisport, and the Iron Islands, I am continuously building more ships."
"At this very moment, the Stormlands army and the Reach army have already gathered in the Borderlands.
My dragon legions have also dispersed along the Dornish coast, ready to launch attacks on multiple targets such as Starfall, Sunspear, and Godsgrace."
Daemon deliberately exaggerated the facts to intimidate Prince Qoren.
Prince Qoren was very calm, "No matter how many ships you have, it's useless.
The Dornishmen will hide in the desert.
We will use the desert and the scorching heat to kill every invader.
In the past, thousands of the Reach army entered the desert, and not a single person came out alive."
Daemon still appreciated Qoren, however, the Dornish Prince left Daemon with no choice.
Daemon said, "My army will poison the desert.
The Lys Alchemists have provided me with a large quantity of poisons.
We will poison the wells, and if necessary, we will poison the entire Greenblood River.
We will burn Plankytown, dismantle Sunspear, Godsgrace, and Starfall.
Once my army occupies the Greenblood River basin or the desert oases, we will sow salt in the land to ensure that Dorne's land is no longer suitable for cultivation."
This deterrence had an effect; Prince Qoren's hands began to tremble uneasily.
He said sadly, "Even Aegon the Conqueror back then didn't go that far.
Dorne is by no means fighting alone.
The Sea Lord of Braavos, Volantis, and those Triarchy governors you expelled, they will all aid Dorne."
Daemon laughed, "They are all defeated by dragons; let them come.
The Sea Lord's warships simply cannot withstand the wrath of dragons.
After all, Braavos is merely a descendant of runaway Dragonlord slaves; they built Braavos to escape dragons.
Letting them challenge dragons is simply seeking their own demise.
As for Volantis, which relies on war slaves, and Pentos, with its weak military, I don't even consider them a threat."
Prince Qoren remained silent.
Daemon placed a hand on Prince Qoren's shoulder, "Prince Qoren, the nobles and commoners of Westeros deeply love King Jaehaerys.
They all hope to complete the great task of incorporating Dorne during King Jaehaerys's lifetime.
This war is too disproportionate in strength; there's no need to fight it at all.
As long as Dorne surrenders immediately, many innocent lives can be saved, and House Martell of Dorne can still retain the title of Prince."
"We can make the desert and the Greenblood River flourish through trade.
My fleet can help Dorne sell olives, pomegranates, and Dornish red wine all over the world.
Grain from the Reach and the Three Daughters will also be sold to Dorne.
Dornish warriors are as numerous as sand; in the future, Dornishmen can follow the banner of House Targaryen and sweep across the entire world.
We can together defeat Pentos and Volantis, Norvos, and Qohor.
I can even take the Rhoynar home, back to Mother Rhoyne River."
The Rhoyne River is the largest river in the known world, nurturing the developed Rhoynar civilization.
The great war between the Rhoynar and Valyria was unprecedented; Valyria barely won the war by relying on dragons.
Today, the estuary of the Rhoyne River basin is occupied by Volantis, and its tributaries can be traced directly upstream to city-states like Braavos, Norvos, Pentos, and Qohor.
The Rhoynar city-states have all become ruins; however, this is a fertile land.
After Daemon conquered the Three Daughters, this region will become Daemon's next target for conquest in the future.
Prince Qoren pondered for a long time.
The terms Daemon offered were very tempting.
Many Rhoynar still yearned for the mighty Mother Rhoyne River.
In the hearts of the Rhoynar, the Mother River was their deity.
A portion of Rhoynar descendants refused to integrate into Dornish culture; they lived on pole boats and called themselves the "Orphans of the Greenblood River."
"Dorne can surrender, but not by becoming part of the Seven Kingdoms under the Iron Throne, rather by joining Prince Daemon's Three Daughters."
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