[To Prince Doran of the Martell Family:

I hope you remember me.

In Jon Clinton, I have known Sister Ling for many years and was a loyal servant of your brother-in-law. I remember them as much as you do.

I'm not dead, and neither is your sister's son. I hid him for safety. Now, it's time to put an end to hiding.

The dragon has returned to Westeros, determined to reclaim his rightful rights and avenge his father, Prince Rhaeggar, and his mother, Princess Elia.

Ranly Baratheon is dead, and we are heading for Storm's End, where the defenders have been drawn away and are unsuspected, and we will take them by surprise. By the time you received this letter, the True Dragon Banner must have been planted at the head of Storm's End...... In order to deal with the counterattack of the brother of the reel, we need the support of Dorne, and I hope the prince will not give up!

Jon Clinton

Earl of Vulten's Nest

Hand of the True King】

Interesting, really interesting.

A dragon had returned to Westeros, but it was not the one he had hoped for, or even known it was. Prince Dowron put down the letter and handed it to his younger brother, Oberon Martell, beside him.

It is undoubtedly a fantasy to let Dorne, who is far away at the southern tip of the continent and waiting for the situation to change, join the blood and fire with a single note. But if the note had been delivered by Varys, the octopus, the wouldn't have been the same.

......

"Aegon is still alive?" Oberon snorted and threw it on the table after reading the letter, "It turns out that the pirates who harassed our coastline and ransacked our villages and killed our people during the siege of the Six Nations to the West were actually my nephew's people?"

"No, only the Golden Regiment's mercenaries who landed from Cape Stormfury are Prince Aegon's men, and the rest are ...... As far as my intel goes, it was hired by Tywin Lannister. ”

"No one wants the letter to be true more than I do, but Gregor Clegane snatched Aegon from Illia and slammed his head against the wall, and countless people saw my nephew's body. Maybe I should have kidnapped you and sent you to King Stannis as a sign of loyalty?, Lord Varys, I'm curious - why didn't you come out to support the rebels as Minister of Intelligence in King's Landing?"

"A poor man with a crippled body...... What else can be done? It is only to put an end to this long rebellion of the Retainers once and for all, and to restore order and peace to the Seven Kingdoms. According to the law, Aegon is the true king, and Lord Oberon is not a very accurate word for the word 'rebel'. Varys shrugged sadly, "King Stannis is convinced that the deaths of Duke Arryn and King Robert are all my fault...... If I don't leave quickly, I'm afraid that my poor brain will be stuck in the wall of the Red Keep. He sighed: "The corpse of little Aegon that countless people have seen actually belongs to a poor peasant child, and the real prince has been sent out of the Red Keep by me in advance. We originally planned to take advantage of the rivalry between the two deer to take advantage of the situation, who would have thought that this brotherly infighting would end as fast as the wind and catch people off guard...... If Dorne doesn't make a move now, then we can only watch as Stannis leads his army into the Stormlands, easily defeats the Golden Regiment, and kills the last Targaryen male in the world. ”

"Touching loyalty, Lord Varys, your words are utterly irrefutable...... Don't say anything irrelevant, let's talk about the important thing: how do you prove that Aegon is really Elia's child?"

"How does the prince want me to prove it, or how can I prove it?" asked Varys, "and folklore does have several ways to distinguish them, but none of them require the presence of both children and parents, and the scholars have long since proved by experiments that all methods, including blood, are unreliable. Didn't even King Robert finally find out if his three children were his own? Aegon Targaryen was raised by Jon Clinton, a close friend of his father Rhaeggar, and that doesn't tell the story? If he wasn't real, how could Earl Clinton be willing to destroy his honor and play dead for him and remain incognito for more than ten years?

"Who can prove that this Earl Clinton is real? The Earl of Eagle's Nest I know is a proud young man and a temper tantrum. How could he be willing to be a dad with a child? I don't believe it. ”

"Lord Oberon doesn't believe it, just go to the Eagle Nest Fort and see the hand of the true king?" Varys said without hesitation: "Earl Clinton has undergone some changes in the past ten years, but he is not disfigured, since you are familiar with him, you should recognize him." ”

Oberon frowned and glanced at his brother.

Sitting in a wheelchair beside him, after reading the letter, Doran Martell, who had not spoken a word from beginning to end, spoke: "Lord Varys, no offense - if someone brings me a letter, I will send a brother to verify the authenticity of its contents, and my family will have no one left. ”

"Prince Daolang's concern is very reasonable. Varys' face remained the same: "In this case, as a sign of sincerity, I would like to remain in Dorne as a hostage." ”

......

Are you a hostage?The lives of the ten eunuchs are not as important as their only brother, Dao Lang didn't say this, and shook his head: "Even if all this is true, then what does my dear nephew want me to do......? That's just a bold word, not every Dorne is a red viper. The Dorne Lords, plus a mercenary group that returns defeated every time they come to Westeros, doesn't look like a combination that can take the Iron Throne at all. ”

"And what about the bend?"

"River Bay?" Dao Lang's expression changed slightly, "Why are they helping?" let me guess...... Aegon Targaryen, you're talking about, is already engaged to Margaery Tyrrell?"

"No, Aegon's queen will be Daenerys Targaryen. Varys shook his head, "The best way to avoid future disputes over inheritance is to unite the last pair of Targaryens." King Aegon promised Rose something else—security, family continuity, and a voice. Stannis is not Robert, and can show mercy if the enemy is willing to bend his knees...... He would not let go of the Tyrells who supported his brother's rebellion. As far as Riverbend is concerned, since it must bear the wrath of the Iron Throne, why not pull in one or two allies and fight vigorously?"

"House Tyrrell?" Oberon sneered, "After two defeats in a row, the loss in King's Landing was not small, why are they still unwilling to give up, and continue to toss?"

"The riverbend is the riverbend. Varys smiled slightly: "Even if it loses two more battles, it is still the thinnest camel in the Seven Kingdoms." ”

＊＊＊

This is an irrefutable statement, especially since Dorne, whose territory is mostly desert and whose population and wealth are at the bottom of the Seven Kingdoms.

There was a brief silence in the living room facing the Flowing Water Garden, except for the chirping of birds and insects and the wind blowing outside the window, and after a while, Doran spoke again: "Dorne has shed enough blood more than ten years ago, and now that my sister's vengeance has been avenged, we have no intention of getting involved in the dispute again." ”

"The revenge has been avenged?" Varys said in a shrieked tone of disbelief, "The prince means that he has obtained the head of the 'Demon Mountain', if this is called revenge, then I may be too high in the blood of the Dorn!"

"Clumsy agitation, Lord Varys, we're not children anymore. Oberon laughed, "If Riverbend is really confirmed, that's interesting, but what about my nephew's queen, who is said to have three dragons? If Daenerys also shows up and recognizes my nephew's identity, then even if my brother doesn't agree, I'll go alone and join the real dragon." ”

"Princess Daenerys...... Meereen, who is still in Slave Bay, is entangled in trivial matters and cannot get out, and my men are doing everything they can to get him back to Westeros as soon as possible. ”

"As soon as possible, that's not yet, Lord Varys. Oberon made no secret of his contempt for wordplay, "It's too much to try to trick us empty-handed—"

"Lord Varys. Prince Dolang interrupted his younger brother, "Your mission is to convey a message to us, and you have done it. But after all, the stakes are high for joining a war, so can I discuss it with my brother before making a decision?"

"That's natural, it's related to the future survival of the family, and it has to be considered in the long run. Varys nodded, and though he seemed to have suffered a slight loss in his conversation with Oberon, he was an octopus, not a lobbyist...... His confidence in convincing Dorne to go to war came from information from the little birds, not eloquence. He stood up and bowed slightly: "Then, take your leave first." ”

"Alio, send Lord Varys back to his lodgings to rest!" said Doran in a loud voice, watching his captain of the guard take the octopus away with him, until he was sure that he could no longer hear him, then sighed and looked at Oberon.

......

"This eunuch, I'm afraid you don't know that you have sent Quentin to Meereen to marry Daenerys. Oberon cocked Erlang's legs and said with a smile: "The so-called little Aegon, God knows if it was a trick made by those mercenaries to find an excuse to fight back Westeros because the blood of the black fire has been cut off. In my opinion, I tied up the eight-clawed spider and sent it to King's Landing as a gift of allegiance to Stannis—always on the winning side, and now, Stannis has won. ”

"I've been admonishing you for so many years, and you've finally figured it out?" said Dao Lang with a light smile as he looked at his brother.

"It's not that I figured it out, but in any case, a deer is better than a lion. Stannis is harsh and rigid, but he can't get us Dorne on the head. And we never have to worry about him being biased towards our opponents. ”

"Indeed, in accordance with the rule of 'always on the winning side,' I should immediately pledge allegiance to Stannis. But this time, I'm afraid I'll have to go against the rules. Dao Lang changed his words: "You have to go to the Storm Lands." ”

"Huh?" said Oberon, suspecting that he had misheard, "but now the stormy land is in chaos, and pirates, mercenaries, and princes' armies are running everywhere. Even if I have a few more arms, I can't guarantee that I will be safe. ”

"That's right, so I'm not asking you to go alone, but with the army. ”

"Take the army?" Oberon was even more puzzled, which was completely inconsistent with his brother's usual cautious style: "But...... The unauthorized entry of the Dorne army into the Stormlands is tantamount to declaring war on the Iron Throne. Didn't we talk about keeping a low profile until Quentin brought Daenerys back? ”

"Indeed, but Lan Li was still alive at that time. ”

Doran looked troubled: "My previous plan was to sit and watch the two deer fight each other until Daenerys returns to Westeros - but as Varys said, this Baratheon family infighting ended too quickly. The royal realm, the storm land, and the strength of the three northern kingdoms have almost not been lost. If we do nothing and watch Stannis quell the rebellion in the Bends and drive the Golden Regiment back across the Narrow Sea, then when Daenerys returns, we will face the Unified Six Nations. ”

"Daenerys has dragons. ”

"Dragons are not invincible, we Dornish have slaughtered them, have you forgotten? Doran shook his head: "Stannis won't be a popular king, but he will run the Seven Kingdoms in an orderly manner, and we can't give him a chance to stabilize the country." Otherwise, until we close our eyes, there will be no more chance to avenge our blood. ”

Oberon was about to open his mouth, but suddenly realized one thing: It's too funny, in the past, Dao Lang persuaded himself to calm down, why is it the other way around this time? Since the eldest brother is determined to participate in the war, then he must have thought it through, and he just did it, what is there to question!

"Well, since you said go, then I'll go, my spear is already hungry and thirsty. ”

"Don't worry, I only asked you to bring the troops over, but I didn't say when to go and who to fight. Dolang said, "We have to wait for news first." If little Aegon can't take the Storm's Breath, then it's all for nothing...... The Golden Regiment patted their butts and went back across the Narrow Sea, but Dorne couldn't escape. Only when the news of him taking Storm's End and erecting the True Dragon Banner will we send troops north in the name of assisting King Stannis in quelling the rebellion. ”

"I see. "That way, even if things change, we can go back to Stannis and get out of the way, as old Tywin did." ”

"Mean, but practical. Dao Lang nodded: "What to do after arriving in the storm land, you have to depend on the situation." The first thing to determine is whether the river bend is really part of the Golden Regiment, and if the Tyrells don't interfere, then the truth of Little Aegon will be meaningless, and we will never be able to independently resist Stannis's attack, at that time, you will really help Stannis to quell the rebellion, and return a few castles occupied by the Golden Regiment to the original owner, just make a show. Only if the Bends do go to war can other options be considered. ”

"How to choose?"

"Number one, you have to meet little Aegon when you are safe, and we cannot rule out the possibility that what Varys says is true. The Targaryen family looks different from ordinary people, and if the child really looks like 'Rhaegar and Elia's child at a glance', then there is no need to hesitate, we will fully support it, and we will not hesitate to break it." ”

"It's not that the Targaryens look special, it's that the Valyrians look like that. Oberon shook his head and explained to his brother, "I have traveled across the Narrow Sea, and I have seen many silver-haired and purple-eyed people, and it is unlikely that this is my nephew by his appearance. ”

"It's up to you to decide it, it doesn't matter if you can't judge it, what we have to do is to try to protect ourselves and prevent Stannis from sitting on the Iron Throne. Dao Lang became serious: "If you can't judge whether it's true or not, then treat it as an ordinary ally, and in this case, don't take the initiative to confront Stannis and the Northern Alliance." It is the Tyrells who are most afraid of Stannis to sit on the throne, and the one that Stannis is most anxious to eliminate must be the 'Targaryen remnant', and we are free from the most fierce contradictions, so there is no need to fight hard. On the premise of ensuring that Stannis does not win a big victory, try to protect yourself and consume the strength of the Golden Regiment and the Riverlands first - to ensure that by the day Quentin returns to Westeros with Daenerys, we in Dorne will still have the qualifications to take sides, and the strength to decide the course of the situation. ”

"Understood. ”

"You're going to start gathering your army tomorrow and take it to the area around Ellenwood City on the Bone Road, and you'll be ready to do when word of Storm's End arrives. ”

"Good. Oberon stood up and walked to the door: "Not every day, I'll do it now." ”

"Wait!" Doran turned around and stopped his brother, "I know you love adventure and war, but this time, I want you to swear - you will never risk your life easily!"

"Do you still treat me like a child, brother?" Oberon smiled, "Well, I swear. ”

——

[Big Chapter, make up yesterday's]