What if Dorne negotiated for peace? Part 1
It has been almost a year since the incident on Driftmark tore apart their fractured family. Rhaenyra and Daemon had been quick to retreat to Dragonstone, marry, and try and move on from their losses. Some nights Daemon still has nightmares of what happened to Laena. Some nights the children join them in bed, and they all stay up telling stories about
Some days Rhaenyra looks at her boys and wonders if she and Laenor made the right decision as she watches Jace become more closed off and Luke less cheerful. The months go by, and the pain lessens bit by bit, but it never goes away. Soon another year would have come and with it, the winds of change came for Princess Rhaenyra and her family, and it all starts with a raven bearing the seal of the Dornish royal family.
It was addressed to Rhaenyra, but she and Daemon both read its contents in surprise and suspicion. Dorne had not fared well in recent years, siding with the Triarchy during the War for the Stepstones badly hurt their fleet of ships and their ability to trade outside of Westeros. Even with so much time has passed since the end of the war, Dorne was still struggling, and things were starting to come to a head between the Dornish royal family and the noble families of the reign.
The raven was sent by Prince Qoren Martell. He and Rhaenyra were of a similar age, him being a few years older. Neither Rhaenyra nor Daemon knew much about him as a person, but from what they did know about relations between Dorne and the rest of Westeros, the prince must have either been desperate to reach out to them, or he was luring them into a trap.
Daemon was all for ignoring the letter, going as so far to suggest burning it so no one would ever know about it in the first place, but Rhaenyra was more curious. Prince Qoren didn’t explicitly say why he wanted to meet, only that if they did it would be beneficial to them all. They went back and forth about it for weeks, until Daemon finally relented but with conditions.
They were the ones who would pick the location for the meeting. The children would remain on Driftmark for the duration of their trip. They would go on dragon back, with Daemon landing first to scout for danger. If anything looked amiss Rhaenyra was to leave him and fly to Driftmark and rally Rhaenys and Lord Corlys, but not the King or the Small Council.
Rhaenyra agreed, and three months after Prince Qoren sent his raven, Rhaenyra sent a response. They would meet at Summerhall, the summer castle of the royal family hadn’t been visited in years and there were only a few servants to maintain its upkeep. It wasn’t far from the seat of House Baratheon, Rhaenys’ maternal relatives, and Lord Baratheon always had a soft spot for Rhaenyra. If anything were to happen, he would be an invaluable ally.
They received a raven less than a week later with Prince Qoren’s agreement to their terms. The date for their meeting would be within the month. Rhaenyra and Daemon avoided outright lying to their children but still danced around the truth. They told them that they had an important meeting in the Stormlands and that they would be back soon.
Jace seemed to pick up on what was going on but held his tongue when his mother promised to tell them everything upon their return. Corlys was happy to have all his grandchildren under one roof, and while Rhaenys was suspicious about what brought about this decision, she kept it to herself.
Her cousin was good at keeping secrets when he wanted to, and if he didn’t want anyone to know what was going on, then they wouldn’t until he was ready for them to know. Rhaenyra and Daemon left on their mounts for Summerhall the morning of their meeting with Prince Qoren. Daemon had been the one to send a letter to the castellan of the summer palace a week prior, to have them prepare for their arrival.
Even if the talks with Prince Qoren went badly, Daemon and Rhaenyra would still need a place to rest and food for themselves and their dragons. It took them only a few hours to reach Summerhall, the lightly fortified castle, in the foothills of the Red Mountains. The perfect cover for two dragons to fly in without being immediately spotted.
They didn’t immediately upon arrival. Daemon circled the area first while Rhaenyra remained hidden further up the mountains with Syrax. She would wait for his signal before flying down. It took until mid-morning for anything to change. Caraxes noticed the approach of horses first, and Daemon not long after.
The Blood Wyrm had perched himself on the roof of the castle, his long neck allowed him to see a great distance in any direction. The horses and their riders came from the south, heading straight for the castle gates. The few servants who hadn’t fled at the sight of the Blood Wyrm looked out the windows curiously but said nothing to each other.
They had no idea what was going on, but they didn’t want to end up on the wrong side of the Rogue Prince and his mount, even by accident.
“Prince Daemon! Your reputation proceeds you, as does that of your mount.”
“Prince Qoren, I presume. Is this your entire party?”
“It is if we’re still trying to be inconspicuous.”
The horses were antsy in the face of Caraxes and Daemon made no move to discourage his mount or invite Prince Qoren inside.
It was the appearance of Rhaenyra who moved things along, as she and Syrax came down off the mountain. She had been watching the exchange, though she was too far to hear, and when it looked like Daemon was about to dig in his heels, she went to intervene.
She pointedly didn’t look at Daemon as she landed and dismounted. Prince Qoren followed her lead and dismounted from his horse; the rest of his entourage followed. There were only five horses in total, but six people dismounted. The knight in the back of the group helped a small figure off the horse and they continued to hang back.
“Princess Rhaenyra, it is an honor to meet you in person.”
“Prince Qoren, there is no need for such formality all the way out here. You and your men have traveled far, please join my husband and I for a meal.”
“You are kind Your Highness, but I must admit what I am about to bring to you is of great importance and shouldn’t wait.”
“Then let us not waste any more time.”
“I thought we agreed that you would wait for me to assess the situation.”
“And I thought you agreed to be nice my love.”
“You cannot call me that and expect me to forgive you. You could have been ambushed Rhaenyra!”
“Neither Syrax nor Caraxes sensed anyone else in the area, it was a calculated decision, but if it makes you feel better, we can leave immediately after we find out what he wants.”
Daemon huffs but leads everyone into one of the castle’s dining rooms. Rhaenyra sits at the head of the table with Daemon on her right and Prince Qoren sits across from her on the opposite side of the table. Only one of his knights was allowed
The only other person in the room is a young girl, who looks strikingly like Prince Qoren sitting to his left. She reminds Rhaenyra of a doll with her large dark eyes, wavy dark curls, and petite frame. The girl is beautiful, and she sits quietly nibbling on fruit as the adults around her talk.
“As you said before Princess, we should not waste any more time.”
“I couldn't agree more. Tell us why you are here and what you want.”
“Daemon...”
“It’s alright Princess. Your husband is correct to push, and I share his impatience. The short answer is that I wish to negotiate Dorne's coming under your rule."
“...You expect us to believe you?”
“Honestly no I don’t, not before hearing what I have to say. The motto of my House is ‘Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken.’ Not even Aegon with his sister wives and dragons could bring us to heel and that is something we will forever take pride in. That said that same pride has taken some blows over the last few years, and I worry about the future of my people should these blows keep coming.”
“If you were serious about peace, then you would have gone to my father the King.”
“No offense meant Princess, but rumors of the cesspool that is the royal court is something that has spread even down to the south. Your father has given too much power to his council, and I believe that the cost of negotiating with them will be too high.”
“This is why you think we need each other? You think my wife’s right as heir is in danger?”
“I know it is. There are plenty of our ships who sail to and from Oldtown, and Hightower men are just as likely to talk under the influence of wine as any other man.”
“You are offering to help us oust our enemies and cement my wife’s right to sit on the Iron Throne, but you haven’t yet said what you will receive in return.”
“What I wish for, is for Dorne to finally be connected to the rest of the realm. I wish to open trade routes to other regions without having to look to Essos for all our trade, I wish for the Kingsroad to be expanded all the way to the south. I wish for the Houses of Dorne to be treated as equals, to the rest of the Noble Houses. We cannot hold out forever, eventually, there will come a time when we must bend to Targaryen rule, I wish to do so without the threat of war and violence. I am making this choice for the betterment of my people.”
“The fact of the matter is that we can talk ourselves horse about this, but I will still need permission from the King before we can even begin negotiations.”
“I am aware, I am also aware of how much the Kings hold you, his heir, in high regard. Perhaps this is the push you need to exert your influence.”
“...What about your daughter? I assume you will want a marriage as well for your help.”
“This is my eldest child and heir, Princess Aliandra, and you are right, I wish for a marriage for her, whether it be with your house or another prominent house. I wish for my children’s marriages to tie us together to the rest of the Realm and guarantee that Dorne isn’t left behind. Dorne is no stranger to having a woman rule and we do not fear it as other houses. Support us at court and with the King, and we shall support your right to the throne when the time comes.”
“This feels too good to be true Rhaenyra. I don’t trust him.”
“I agree, but he is right. Even now the Queen and the Lord Hand scheme to steal my birthright and put Aegon on the throne. We don’t know how many allies they may gain, and I have done nothing to defend my claim. This may be my chance, Daemon.”
“If you decide to do this, then I will stand with you, but the moment something feels off I will burn everyone to ash.”
“Of that, I have no doubt.”
“Let us eat before we continue. We have much to discuss in the next few hours.”