Viserys sat at the head of the table, with Rhaenys, Daenerys, and Ashara seated to his left.
Rhaenys had changed into a dark blue formal gown, while Daenerys wore a milky white dress; both girls sat upright, trying their best to maintain their princessly poise, though Daenerys's eyes couldn't help but stray toward the three Young Dragons behind her. Ashara was much more composed, wearing a lavender gown tonight with her black hair pinned up.
Oberyn and the other guests were arranged on the opposite side.
Oberyn raised his glass toward Viserys at the head of the table. "Your Majesty, these dragons of yours remind me of the 'dragons' in the Dornish desert—the sandworms. They can tunnel through the desert and are said to be able to carry people across it. Of course, compared to true dragons that can fly and breathe fire, our sand-burrowing worms fall quite short. A toast to the dragons."
The others at the feast also raised their glasses. After setting down his glass, Viserys said, "The Prince is too modest. I have read in ancient texts that the last person to tame a sandworm was Queen Nymeria; she rode a sandworm to conquer the various tribes of Dorne, thereby establishing the rule of House Martell."
Oberyn's eyes lit up; he hadn't expected Viserys to be so knowledgeable about Dornish history.
Halfway through the feast, the atmosphere grew warmer. Nymeria walked over to Viserys with a wine glass; she had changed into a Dornish-style off-the-shoulder sheer gown, her sun-kissed skin looking healthy.
"Your Majesty." Her voice carried a deliberate laziness and seduction. "I heard you conquered half of Essos. Could you tell us how you did it? Was it by relying on those giant dragons, or..." She leaned in slightly, allowing a glimpse of her cleavage, "...something else?"
Viserys politely leaned away, avoiding intimate contact. "Both, Miss Nymeria. Without human control, no matter how powerful or intelligent a dragon is, it is merely a beast. But without dragons, there wouldn't have been enough power to take these territories so quickly."
"How modest." Nymeria arched an eyebrow, clearly unsatisfied with the answer. "I thought conquerors would be more wild."
"That depends on what is being conquered," Viserys said calmly. "Conquering land relies on power, while conquering people relies on wisdom and respect. The latter is far more difficult than the former."
Nymeria stared at him for a few seconds and suddenly laughed. "Interesting. I thought you would be like those mercenary captains, boasting about how many people you've killed and how much treasure you've plundered."
"Nym," Ellaria barked softly.
The table fell silent for a moment. Ashara's fingers gently rubbed her glass, Rhaenys frowned, and Daenerys glared even harder at Nymeria.
Clearly, Nymeria hadn't realized that comparing a king to a mercenary captain was somewhat inappropriate; after all, Oberyn had been a mercenary before, so she actually looked forward to the mercenary life.
"Treasure will be spent, and people will die," Viserys said with a smile. "But a powerful nation can continuously generate wealth and loyalty. That is true conquest."
Tyene took the opportunity to ask about the Valyrian tax system, and Viserys had the finance officer come over to explain. Obara moved next to Rhaenys and asked in a low voice about the dragons.
Nymeria stopped speaking; after what her mother had just whispered to her, she realized her mistake, but her eyes still flickered toward Viserys from time to time, as if evaluating something.
Marwyn only ate a few bites of food, his eyes fixed on the three dragons behind Daenerys.
Just then, the three Young Dragons fought over a piece of meat, and Akmot let out a threatening sound from his throat. Daenerys crouched down and slapped him. "Quiet, Akmot. You all get a share."
The Young Dragons actually quieted down and then took turns eating. Viserys had told Daenerys before that the dragon brood needed a leader; only by making the dragons truly fear her would they recognize her and listen to her.
Watching this scene, Oberyn said to Viserys, "Your sister is truly talented."
"She hatched these three dragons. With blood and fire."
"Blood and fire..." Oberyn repeated the words. "Targaryens can never escape that."
Viserys didn't respond, merely raising his glass in a gesture.
The next day, Oberyn was invited to the council chamber of Dragonwing Fortress.
When he arrived, Viserys was already waiting inside, as was Ashara, who sat in a chair in the corner, clearly prepared to listen in. Oberyn brought Ellaria, and the two sat across the long table.
Viserys spoke directly, "The Prince probably didn't come this time just to see the dragons. Whatever Dorne wants, you might as well say it plainly."
"Then I shall get straight to the point."
Oberyn leaned forward. "My brother Doran asked me to ask three questions. First, after Your Majesty takes Westeros, what is the future of Dorne? Second, if Elia and Rhaegar's child is still alive—I'm not talking about Rhaenys, but Aegon—how will you arrange for him? Third, can the blood feud for Elia be handled by the Dornish themselves?"
Viserys folded his hands on the table. "To the first question: when I take Westeros, Dorne can continue to be ruled by its Prince and enjoy autonomy. You only need to swear fealty to the Targaryen family, pay taxes as agreed, and be available for mobilization during wartime. Furthermore, Arianne will become my Queen; I believe there's no need to worry about the relationship between our two houses."
Oberyn nodded slightly.
Viserys continued, "As for the second, the 'Aegon' you know of was likely told to you by Varys, wasn't it?"
"Correct. Does Your Majesty also know of his existence?"
"Some time ago, a person claiming to be Aegon came to me, brought personally by Jon Clinton. He said Aegon was given to him by Varys and raised by him. However, after my inspection, he is a fake. But if Aegon truly didn't die, then I would certainly give him the treatment he deserves; after all, there are very few people left in the Targaryen family now."
Oberyn seemed a bit dejected. "Doran has always held onto hope."
"Hope is fine, but do not pin it on a deception. As for the third question: Tywin Lannister, Gregor Clegane, Amory Lorch—all those involved in the murder of Princess Elia and little Aegon—you may execute them personally. I guarantee it."
Oberyn took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Good, straightforward enough."
"But there is a prerequisite: you must wait for the right time. Attacking King's Landing now would only drive the Lannisters to desperation, which would disrupt my plans."
"What plan?"
"Let Westeros fall into chaos on its own first." Viserys pointed his finger at Westeros on the map. "The three children born of Cersei's incest are all bastards; this matter has already spread throughout Westeros. Now we just wait for a spark to ignite it, and all the houses will be drawn in. When they are exhausted from fighting, I will cross the sea from the east, and you will head north from the south; together, we will reap the remains."
Oberyn pondered this and looked at Ellaria beside him. The woman nodded slightly.
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