The sigil of House Martell is a gold spear piercing a red sun; the gold spear is the ancient sigil of House Martell, and the red sun symbolizes the Rhoynar.
Their house motto is "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken."
Legend says that a thousand years ago, the Rhoynar warrior queen Nymeria led her people on ten thousand ships to escape the aggression of the Valyrian Freehold.
They wandered for many years before finally landing on the lands of House Martell and intermarrying with them.
Therefore, House Martell is also called: House Nymeros Martell of Sunspear, where Nymeros means "the blood of Nymeria."
...
In the Water Gardens of Sunspear.
Various tropical plants were in full bloom, emitting a charming fragrance. The colors of the flowers were rich and varied, from bright reds and yellows to elegant pinks and purples, each possessing its own unique charm.
Various flowers, shrubs, and trees bloomed under the sunlight, bringing people joy and delight.
The shrubs and lush trees formed a green canopy, providing pleasant coolness.
People strolled along the paths, admiring the beauty of the sea of flowers. Birds sang on the branches, and butterflies danced among the blossoms.
In addition to flowers, the garden was often planted with various fruit trees, such as apple trees, cherry trees, and the most conspicuous lemon trees laden with fruit.
The garden was also equipped with carefully designed flower beds and fountains; the flowers in the beds were meticulously arranged, forming various beautiful patterns and color combinations.
The fountain water flowed softly, adding coolness and tranquility to people's hearts.
"Have there been any letters from across the Narrow Sea recently?" Prince Doran asked the guard beside him.
"No, his grace, the prince." A guard immediately stepped forward to answer.
"Sigh, you may leave. Let me sun myself for a while."
Prince Doran waved his hand. The guards glanced at Prince Doran's immobile legs before turning to leave.
"Yes, his grace, the prince."
His son, Quentyn Martell, should have arrived across the Narrow Sea by now; he wondered about the progress.
Prince Doran thought that the situation in Westeros was becoming tense again, which was not a good sign. If Aegon Targaryen were to return with the Golden Company at this time, it would be no different than pulling chestnuts from the fire.
Furthermore, Prince Doran held great suspicion toward this Aegon Targaryen, who was rumored to be his own nephew. He wouldn't be foolish enough to believe whatever people said.
He planned to have his daughter, Arianne Martell, go across the Narrow Sea in a few days to verify the identity of Aegon Targaryen.
Now that Viserys Targaryen was dead, if Quentyn could marry Daenerys Targaryen, and Arianne could marry Aegon Targaryen, then the plans he had been making for more than a decade might see some hope.
Prince Doran closed his eyes and sat in his wheelchair, enjoying the rare birdsong and fragrant flowers.
Prince Doran was the current Prince of Dorne; he was the older brother of "The Red Viper" Oberyn Martell and Elia Martell, and also the father of Arianne, Quentyn, and Trystane.
Prince Doran's appearance was that of a traditional and typical Salty Dornishman; he had olive skin, a pair of deep black eyes, and black hair mixed with some earth-gray.
However, due to aging, some of his hair had lost its melanin and turned gray.
His nose bridge was high, and his lips were thin.
His first impression was one of coldness and severity, making him seem difficult to get along with.
Prince Doran was cautious and steady; because his legs suffered from severe gout, he was almost unable to leave his wheelchair.
There is a gain for every loss; this sickly image of his had invisibly lowered the world's vigilance against him.
In fact, ever since King's Landing fell and his sister Elia Martell was murdered, Prince Doran had been plotting revenge against House Baratheon and House Lannister.
Years ago, he had secretly sent an envoy across the Narrow Sea, and with the witness of the Sea Lord of Braavos, betrothed his daughter Arianne Martell to the exiled Viserys Targaryen, preparing to send troops to win back the iron throne for House Targaryen when the time was ripe.
But now Viserys Targaryen was dead. Fortunately, he had sent his second son, Quentyn Martell, ahead to the other side of the Narrow Sea to find Daenerys Targaryen.
He wondered how Quentyn was doing now; there had been no news for several months.
Just then, a twisted, dark shadow walked out from behind Prince Doran. The figure gradually elongated and widened, finally forming the silhouette of a person.
The whole process was silent and imperceptible; even the few guards who had just been beside Prince Doran had not noticed.
The silhouette faded from the darkness, revealing the image of a person.
This person was wearing a light-colored deerskin cloak, embroidered with a circular family crest.
The pattern consisted of an outer blue ring and an inner red ring. Blue represented wisdom, calmness, and composure; red symbolized passion, courage, and vitality. Between the two rings was an inverted antler.
The whole person was shrouded in the large cloak, making it impossible to see their specific features clearly.
"You always appear like this; are you trying to show off your power to me?" Prince Doran said with a helpless expression.
Although he was already aware of this person's abilities, every time he saw him walk out of his own shadow, he would be startled.
"I just think it's more flamboyant this way."
The person's voice was lazy and magnetic; judging by the sound, it should be a young male.
"Alright, there's no one else here. There's no need for us to be so secretive."
"Fine, fine."
As he spoke, the person took off his cloak.
What came into view was a young man, who looked to be about twenty years old.
He was of medium height and well-proportioned. His short-to-medium black hair was tied back, forming a ponytail that stuck up, looking like a pineapple head.
His thin face had distinct contours and was still slightly childish, giving people an approachable and friendly feeling.
Under his slender eyebrows were a pair of large, bright brown eyes, revealing wisdom and composure.
"Nara..."
"It's Liang Nai, his grace, the prince."
"Alright, Liang Nai, I remember you once told me that the Dothraki's Khal Drogo was going to die soon, but now his biggest opponent has been killed by Aegon. I really can't imagine how a leader at the top of the Dothraki could die. The current situation makes my son, Quentyn Martell, very passive."
"his grace, the prince, please do not be anxious. Under the brilliance of the faith of my lord, rhllor, everything will get on the right track," Liang Nai said with a smile.
"rhllor? You don't look like you have anything to do with light in this getup. Are you sure you aren't the King of Shadows?"
rhllor was a faith from the continent of Essos, not well-known in Westeros.
And for Prince Doran, who believed in the Seven, all other gods were false gods. But as long as it could achieve his goal, letting him briefly respect rhllor for a period of time would not cause him any rejection.
"There are only two true gods in the world: fire and ice, light and dark, life and death, day and night, summer and winter. Everything in the world is the result of the continuous struggle between these two gods."
"One is my lord, rhllor, known as the Lord of Light, the Heart of Fire, the god of shadows and flames, and also the god of heat and life."
"The other is the ancient alien god whose name mortals cannot speak, also known as the Great Other, the god of darkness, cold, and death, the god of darkness, the soul of black ice, and the god of night and fear. The endless struggle between them determines the fate of humanity."
"According to the prophecies in our ancient books from Asshai, after the Long Summer, the stars will bleed, and a cold darkness will shroud the world. A warrior will draw a burning sword, 'Lightbringer,' from the fire; he is Azor Ahai. He will be reborn in the land of smoke and salt, and awaken the dragons from stone to end this eternal strife."
"his grace, the prince, please remember: The night is dark and full of terrors, and where there is light, there is shadow. You must know: light originates from darkness, and darkness emerges from light."
After speaking, Liang Nai split into countless black bat-shaped shadows from bottom to top. After circling in the air for a while, they quickly surged into the shadow behind Prince Doran.
The garden returned to tranquility.
...
In the southern part of Slaver's Bay, in the Sorrowful Straits.
Seabirds spread their wings and flew away, and waves crashed against the reefs.
The sea breeze whipped up giant waves. An ugly, ancient, rickety single-masted pole boat came riding the wind and waves from the distant north.
"Your majesty, forgive me for speaking bluntly. I think our top priority now is to contact Prince Doran of Dorne, and then form an alliance with them to counterattack Westeros. Prince Doran is your uncle, after all; he will definitely agree to us."
Jon Clinton urged anxiously. Seeing that they had already formed an alliance with Khal Drogo, he couldn't understand why his majesty still planned to head towards Yi Ti and Asshai.
Just at this moment, the evil voice of rhllor also sounded. It laughed: "Aegon, are you really going? Don't be surprised when you get there. Hahaha!"
rhllor's annoying evil laughter echoed continuously in Aegon Targaryen's mind, but Aegon Targaryen ignored rhllor and turned to Jon Clinton, saying:
"No need to be impatient. I have my own plans. However, I can promise you that after returning from Yi Ti and Asshai, we will begin the counterattack on Westeros and take back the iron throne."
At this moment, Aegon Targaryen had endless doubts in his heart; he needed to go to Yi Ti and Asshai to find an answer.
This answer might allow him to perceive the truth of the world, and it might also let him know the reason for his transmigration.
There was no hesitation on Aegon Targaryen's handsome face; he looked ahead with firm eyes.
Looking at the rising morning sun in the morning mist, which was emitting warm radiance, Aegon Targaryen asked in his heart:
"rhllor, I want to know who I really am?"
"Hahaha, Aegon, are you finally unable to hold back?"
rhllor laughed and said:
"You are darkness, you are shadow, and you are also the Night Lion."