Chapter 123 Conquering Dorne
On Serpent Isle in the Stepstones, Daemon was somewhat surprised after hearing Prince Qoren's request.
"How can Dorne be incorporated into the Three Daughters? Your Dorne is part of the Seven Kingdoms, and Dorne and the Three Daughters have never been a single entity."
Prince Qoren revealed a gentle smile, "The First Men arrived in Dorne from across the Narrow Sea, through the Dorne's Arm land bridge. The birthplace of the Andals, Andalos, is located north of the Three Daughters. Dorne has a strong Rhoynar heritage; the Rhoyne River is the mother river of the Rhoynar, and the Rhoyne River basin is adjacent to the Three Daughters. Myr in the Three Daughters has olive-skinned people, and some Myrmen even claim to be distant relatives of the Rhoynar."
"The Seven Kingdoms is merely Aegon the Conqueror's wishful thinking; he and House Targaryen never truly conquered Dorne. In fact, we Dornishmen, whether in terms of economy, shipping, or cultural exchange, have closer ties with the Free Cities across the Narrow Sea, especially the Three Daughters. House Martell frequently intermarries with nobles from Myr, Lys, and Tyrosh. My mother is from Lys, and if you hadn't conquered Tyrosh, my sister would very likely have married the Tyrosh Grand Prince's son."
"Prince Daemon, you have conquered the Three Daughters, which is separated from Dorne only by the Narrow Sea and the Stepstones. As long as Dorne is incorporated into your kingdom, we can build a series of military fortresses in the Stepstones, and the Dornishmen will guard the Stepstones for you. Let Dorne be your daughter! From now on, Lys will be your Sweetheart Daughter, Tyrosh your Vibrant Daughter, Myr your Artisan Daughter, and Dorne your Desert Daughter."
Serpent Daughter is more like it. Daemon immediately realized this was a trap. If Daemon agreed to Prince Qoren's request, what would Prince Viserys, Prince of Dragonstone, Lord Boremund Baratheon of Storm's End, and Lord Matthos Tyrell of Highgarden think?
Lord Baratheon and Lord Tyrell had each led large armies to fight in the Borderlands for months, suffering losses. They helped Daemon tie down Dorne, allowing him to conquer the Three Daughters without worries. Daemon's army had finally returned from across the Narrow Sea. Lord Baratheon and Lord Tyrell had hoped to share in the spoils of victory after conquering Dorne, only to turn around and find the Dornishmen raising the flag of Daemon's Three Daughters.
The Stormlanders and Reachmen hated the Dornishmen, and they would likely transfer this hatred to Daemon.
Prince Viserys deeply loved his brother Daemon. He, Daemon, and Princess Rhaenys had agreed to conquer Dorne and present it as a gift to King Jaehaerys, who was gravely ill. It was clear to all that King Jaehaerys did not have much time left. The great achievement of conquering Dorne was rightfully his, the best farewell gift after half a century of diligent rule.
If Daemon incorporated Dorne into his kingdom, King Jaehaerys might be greatly disappointed, and Rhaenys and Viserys might grow dissatisfied with Daemon. Even if Viserys did not view Daemon's annexation of Dorne as betrayal, Otto Hightower and others on the Small Council would certainly exploit this matter to attack Daemon.
Once Daemon agreed to Dorne's incorporation into the Three Daughters, the situation could rapidly deteriorate. In extreme circumstances, King Jaehaerys and Prince Viserys might declare that they no longer recognized Daemon's Three Daughters, and might even recall the Valyrian Fleet of the Sea Snake. The Stormlands and The Reach armies would withdraw from Dorne, and even many Westeros Knights, Winter Wolves, and others in Daemon's army might choose to return to their homes.
At that point, Daemon's enemies across the Narrow Sea—the exiled nobles of the Triarchy, Pentos, Braavos, Volantis, and others—could calmly attack Daemon's fledgling Three Daughters. And once Daemon truly reached the point of being deserted by all, the Dornishmen would likely abandon the Three Daughters without hesitation, either watching from the sidelines as Daemon and his enemies fought in the Three Daughters, or joining the grand alliance against Daemon.
Having discerned all the pros and cons, Daemon smiled faintly at Prince Qoren, "Your terms are very tempting, but that is impossible. Dorne is part of the Seven Kingdoms; this is the consensus of Westeros nobles and commoners. Dorne's ancient enemies, the Stormlanders and Reachmen, would also not stand by and watch you join the Three Daughters. My grandfather, King Jaehaerys, and my brother, Prince Viserys, would also not agree. If you truly wish to cooperate with the Three Daughters, as long as you declare allegiance to the Iron Throne, in the future, the Three Daughters can cooperate with Dorne unreservedly and intimately."
Prince Qoren was greatly disappointed, "Prince Daemon, you are already a king; perhaps I should address you as Your Majesty. It is precisely because of the centuries-long hatred between Dorne and the Stormlanders and Reachmen that Dorne is unwilling to be incorporated into the Seven Kingdoms. Dorne is already considering surrender; is it wrong for us to choose to be incorporated into a kingdom whose customs and culture are closer to Dorne's?"
Daemon said, "In Tyrosh, Lys, and Myr, I am king. However, in Westeros, I am merely Prince Daemon, Ser Daemon of Dragonstone."
Prince Qoren said gloomily, "I sincerely wish to negotiate peace, but my father, the Prince of Dorne, my sister Nymeria, and many Dornish nobles do not wish to negotiate; they would rather fight to the bitter end. Your refusal of Dorne's terms will be seen as an insult by many Dornish nobles."
Daemon sensed that Prince Qoren genuinely desired peace. He said, "How could this be an insult? Once Dorne is incorporated into the Seven Kingdoms, Dornishmen can continue to choose to intermarry with nobles of the Three Daughters, or with Westeros nobles such as House Targaryen, House Velaryon, House Baratheon, and House Tyrell. Dornish warriors will fight alongside the Winter Wolves, Ironborn, Sistermen, and knights from all over Westeros."
"As long as Dorne submits, I promise to lead the Dornishmen to conquer the Rhoyne River basin, to bring the orphans of the Greenblood River back to their longed-for mother river, the Rhoyne River, and to let the ruined festival city of Chroyane, the fountain city of Nyar Sar, and the city of orchards and waterfalls, Ghohrish, rise again."
A bitter smile touched Prince Qoren's lips. He said, "Prince Daemon, these beautiful blueprints of conquest you describe sound more like a prayer. It's ironic, isn't it, for dragons to lead Dornishmen to restore cities destroyed by dragons a thousand years ago? I will relay your grand plan to my father; perhaps he will accept it."
Prince Qoren turned and left. Daemon watched his lonely back. The Sea Snake emerged from a nearby grove. "Your Majesty, was the negotiation smooth?"
Daemon relayed Prince Qoren's terms. The Sea Snake listened quietly, then let out a hearty laugh. "This is a Dornish conspiracy. They are attempting to join the Three Daughters to sow discord between the Iron Throne and the Three Daughters. The Dornishmen are all cunning vipers; otherwise, how could they, relying on such barren land as Dorne, have repeatedly defeated the armies of the River Kings, Storm Kings, and the Targaryen dynasty? This negotiation is entirely a delaying tactic by the Dornishmen."
Daemon nodded, "Perhaps Prince Qoren truly desires peace, but Dorne's fate is in the hands of Prince Enrik. That old man will never surrender without a fight. We must crush Dorne before the Dornishmen might consider surrender."
Days later, ravens flew across Dorne's sky. Seven days later, the The Reach army at Prince's Pass, the Stormlands army at Boneway, and the Arbor Redwyne Fleet and Ironborn Fleet in the waters near Starfall, launched simultaneous attacks.
Daemon, riding Caraxes, Gael, riding Dreamfyre, and Rhaenys, riding Meleys the Red Queen, appeared over Sunspear, Shadow City, and Plankytown. The streets here were empty. Daemon estimated that all the residents had fled inland. During Aegon the Conqueror's invasion of Dorne, the Dornishmen had repeatedly employed the scorched-earth strategy. However, there might still be Dornish defenders hidden in the castles and houses.
The Dornishmen had set up arrow towers on both sides of the Greenblood River estuary and blocked the entrance with thick iron chains across the river. Dreamfyre, Caraxes, and the Red Queen roared simultaneously, spraying orange-yellow dragonfire and striking the chains. The chains quickly melted into molten iron under the intense dragonfire.
After clearing the obstacle of the river-blocking chains, the Sea Snake led the Valyrian Fleet, mighty and vast, into the Greenblood River and attacked Plankytown.
Plankytown had a larger population than Shadow City and was the closest place to a city in Dorne, built entirely on the waters of the Greenblood River. The streets were wooden planks connecting boats, and various pole boats, merchant ships, and pleasure boats formed shops, brothels, halls, and residences.
In peacetime, Plankytown residents traded with merchant ships from all over the world, many from the Free Cities, and some from the Summer Isles or Ibben. Most of the residents here were orphans of the Greenblood River.
The Sea Snake's fleet first needed to capture the castle on the hill next to the harbor. The House Martell banner of Dorne had already fallen there, but the sturdy castle might still conceal enemies.
As expected, when the Valyrian Fleet approached the castle, horn blasts suddenly erupted from the hitherto empty castle walls, and Dornish warriors, clad in turbans and sand-colored battle robes, surged out of the castle towers and onto the walls.
They fired flaming arrows at the Valyrian Fleet's ships, and the Sea Monster and Hope, both Valyrian vessels, immediately caught fire.
However, the Dornish had overlooked the dragons in the sky; Rhaenys, riding Meleys the Red Queen, cut a crimson shadow across the air, and the Red Queen spewed dragonfire, instantly engulfing the Dornish on the walls.
The Dornish screamed continuously, falling from the walls, while some warriors fled into the towers.
Daemon's Caraxes and Gael's Dreamfyre joined the fray, their dragonfire blasting the castle's towering structures, penetrating inside.
The Dornish warriors within either suffocated from the thick smoke or were burned alive by the flames; screams and curses echoed through the air, and the smell of charred flesh permeated everywhere.
With the assistance of the dragons, the Valyrian Fleet's ground troops easily captured the castle on the port hill.
Caraxes, Dreamfyre, and the Red Queen continued to soar over Plankytown.
Some Ironborn and Sistermen hoped to plunder Plankytown, but all the valuable items and food in the entire town had already been moved by the Dornish.
Fearing that enemies might be hidden within Plankytown, the Sea Snake ordered archers to fire flaming arrows at the town's boathouses; flower boats, rafts, and boathouses all caught fire.
Dreamfyre, Caraxes, and the Red Queen in the sky spewed dragonfire over the northern, western, and southern parts of Plankytown respectively, and the entire town quickly went up in flames.
If not for the constant warfare, the Dornish could have developed a city at the mouth of the Greenblood River; their Plankytown, constructed from cheap boats, had been burned down multiple times throughout history due to war.
After burning Plankytown, the Ironborn Fleet, the Sistermen Fleet, and the Valyrian Fleet sailed upstream together.
Daemon and Rhaenys rode their dragons ahead to scout, while Gael, riding Dreamfyre, brought up the rear.
The Dornish released fire ships from upstream, attempting to block the fleet sailing against the current, but unfortunately, the current was too slow, and the fire ships were destroyed by Daemon's mount, Caraxes, with dragonfire before they even approached Daemon's fleet.
The next day, Caraxes, Dreamfyre, and Meleys the Red Queen began to operate separately.
Gael, riding Dreamfyre, followed the fleet, coordinating with its military operations on the Greenblood River.
Princess Rhaenys, riding the Red Queen, flew to the Boneway to support her uncle, Lord Boremund Baratheon, who was struggling to march through the Boneway.
Daemon's destination was Prince's Pass, where Lord Matthos Tyrell of Highgarden was leading the The Reach army in a fierce assault.
Riding on Caraxes's back, Daemon's black and gold cloak flapped in the wind.
He looked down at the land, seeing only desolate mountains, secluded valleys, and an endless desert.
Prince's Pass, like a venomous snake, tore a rift through the Red Mountains, stretching southward.
Dorne relied on the towering mountains on both sides of Prince's Pass to establish a series of defensive fortifications.
From north to south, the three most famous towers or castles were Wailing Tower, Ghost Hill, and Hellgate Castle.
The Prince's Pass road stretched directly from the Red Mountains deep into the desert, with desert oases dotting the landscape like emeralds.
A few days later, Daemon, riding Caraxes, arrived at Wailing Tower, which guarded Prince's Pass.
Wailing Tower stood on a hill in the northern part of the craggy Red Mountains, with cliffs on three sides and only a narrow, winding goat path serving as the ascent route.
Lord Matthos Tyrell had already led the The Reach army to capture Wailing Tower, but many bodies of The Reach soldiers and knights lay dead along the mountain path.
Lord Matthos Tyrell, clad in dark green armor with a golden rose engraved on his chest, and the The Reach generals and nobles, immediately felt invigorated upon seeing Daemon descend from the sky on his dragon.
People shouted and cheered at the dragon slowly descending from the sky.
Caraxes slowly landed on the open ground below Wailing Tower.
Lord Matthos Tyrell, accompanied by Lord Tarly of Horn Hill, Lord Oakhart of Old Oak, Lord Fossoway of Cider Hall, and a host of other The Reach nobles, approached Daemon.
Lord Matthos Tyrell said, "Prince Daemon, you have accomplished an unprecedented conquest in the Three Daughters.
How is my son, Matthew?"
Daemon replied, "Matthew is a brave lad.
He is in Tyrosh and gets along very well with my sons."
When Lord Matthos Tyrell sent his heir, Matthew, to serve as Daemon's squire, Daemon was merely Prince Daemon of House Targaryen.
Times had changed; after Daemon conquered the Three Daughters, he forged a powerful dragon kingdom on the fertile Essos' Heel and the islands.
Now, Daemon had been crowned King, and Matthew's long tenure as Daemon's squire meant that the future alliance between Highgarden and Daemon the Liberator would be very strong.
The The Reach army had suffered heavy losses at Prince's Pass, and Lord Baratheon's Stormlands army in the Boneway was similarly at a loss.
After Daemon arrived at Prince's Pass on his dragon, the morale of the The Reach army quickly soared.
Daemon and Lord Tyrell immediately led the The Reach army south at full speed.
Along the way, Daemon, riding Caraxes, destroyed the arrow towers and bunkers the Dornish had set up on treacherous peaks.
A few days later, the army arrived at Ghost Hill, the ancestral seat of House Manwoody.
Matthew Tyrell looked at the scorpion crossbow on the walls of Ghost Hill and began to get nervous.
He said to Daemon, who was beside him, "Prince Daemon, you were crowned King in the Three Daughters.
This place is called Ghost Hill, and it curses anyone who wears a crown.
You'd best avoid it."
Daemon asked curiously, "There's such a saying?"
Matthew Tyrell nodded solemnly.
"The ancestors of House Manwoody once shot and killed a King of the The Reach here, and in the long history that followed, several more Kings of the The Reach died in battle here."
Daemon said calmly, "It seems this place only curses Kings of the The Reach, and I am not a King of the The Reach."
Despite this, Daemon remained cautious.
He deliberately waited until late at night to launch a surprise attack, riding Caraxes to the walls of Manwoody Castle, destroying the scorpion crossbow on the ramparts.
Subsequently, the The Reach army erected ladders and launched a fierce assault, ultimately capturing Ghost Hill and taking the Manwoody family captive.
A few days later, the The Reach army and Daemon arrived at Hellgate Castle, the strongest and most majestic fortress on the Prince's Pass road.
House Fowler of Hellgate Castle were descendants of the First Men, one of the oldest, most noble, and most powerful families in Dorne.
In ancient times, House Fowler was once one of Dorne's most powerful kings, calling themselves "Kings of the Cliffs and the Sky."
Today, they still hold titles such as "Lord of the Road" and "Warden of Prince's Pass."
Hellgate Castle was embedded in the cliffs, extremely treacherous, but this could not stop the dragons.
Daemon, riding Caraxes, breathed fire, setting the roofs of Hellgate Castle ablaze.
Lady Jeyne Fowler, seeing the The Reach army stretching for miles below the castle, knew that all was lost and chose to surrender.
Over the next month, the Sea Snake's fleet and Dreamfyre successively captured Vancewood and Godsgrace along the Greenblood River and its tributaries.
Lord Baratheon, with the help of Rhaenys and the Red Queen, finally captured Weeping Town.
The Stormlands army swept through the Boneway and captured Yronwood seven days later.
The Ironborn Fleet, led by Lord Harlaw, sailed upstream along the Brimstone River, and with the cooperation of Dreamfyre, captured Hellgate Castle.
Prince Enrik, who had been hiding in the desert, realized that the tide had turned and had no choice but to lead hundreds of Dornish nobles out of the desert to surrender to Daemon.
In the Great Hall of Sunspear, Prince Enrik and Prince Qoren, leading Lord Yronwood, Lord Fowler, Lord Dayne, and others, knelt before Daemon, swearing fealty to him.
Daemon noticed that Lord Yronwood's eyes were full of resentment, Lady Fowler's eyes were cold and stingy, and the elderly Lord Cogshell's eyes were like desperate ashes.
This was a group that would never yield.
Prince Enrik said, "Prince Daemon, I represent Dorne in surrendering to the Iron Throne and the Three Daughters.
From now on, Dorne is part of the Iron Throne."
Prince Qoren said, "Actually, I still hope Dorne becomes part of the Three Daughters, Prince Daemon.
If you want to completely rule Dorne, at least you should listen to the opinions of the nobles and commoners here."
Daemon helped Prince Enrik and Prince Qoren to their feet and gestured for the other nobles to rise.
"You Dornish are formidable warriors, and I admire you greatly.
From now on, you are part of the Seven Kingdoms and will become close partners of the Three Daughters.
To ensure your loyalty, every noble house must provide hostages, and commoners must also provide hostages.
I will help you rebuild Plankytown, and the Kingsguard will be permanently stationed in Dorne."
Daemon had accomplished what Aegon the Conqueror had never achieved.
Next, Daemon needed to win the hearts of the Dornish.
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