moonlight10
patreon
GOT : Chapter 146
🕑 Added 2024-10-15 09:00:05 +0000 UTCTo her right were then Prince Trystane, Lady Myrcella, Lord Anders, Lord Trebor and many others, while at the Queen's side, to her father's left, sat Lady Shireen, Ser Jon, Lord Monford, Lord Edric, Lady Nymella and a lot of other Dornish nobles.
All in all, every single one of the Targaryen allies were here, in a show of unity and strength, all under an auspicious sky.
...
For the atmosphere was as festive as it was rich. The courses followed one another with breakneck speed: pheasant, boar, deer, chicken and pork, all doused with spices, vegetables and herbs followed one another.
And the meat was not the only thing to be served. Various fish were laid on the tables: catfish, mackerel, trout and sole. The Dornish seas were indeed bountiful, as these fish were usually preceded or succeeded by seafood: shrimp, oysters, crab, lobster and sea shells.
All of this, of course, being surrounded by all of the fruits one could offer: apples, peaches, pears, oranges, plums, kiwifruit, pomegranate, lemons, berries, mangoes, pineapples and bananas. Other courses included soups, rice, potatoes and salads.
No expense was spared on the deserts either.
Cakes of all kinds flowed, including some rare varieties coming from Sothoryos and the Summer Isles, made of something called chocolate. There were also fountains of milk and fruit juice, sugar tarts and biscuits.
And even something new: iced cream. With fruity flavors, the dessert was a welcome source of cold in an otherwise hot climate. Lemon, orange, mango and strawberry sorbets thus found their way on top of cakes, adding even more flavor to the sugary mix.
And all of this, of course, doused in copious amounts of Dornish Red or White, and even a few barrels of ale and mead.
The Stark girl, until then solemn, had found a small smile as she dug into a strawberry cake, adding some mango sorbet and a few blackberries on top of it all.
Similarly, Nymeria noticed otherwise usually very tired and annoyed old men like Anders Yronwood were devouring their pheasant along with baked potatoes and yellow rice with a large grin on their face, laughing with their neighbors.
And the entertainment was provided, too.
Jesters, actors, musicians, performers and magicians of all kinds succeeded one another in an afternoon that never seemed to end, even as darkness fell around the Dornish capital.
Fires were lit and the celebrations continued throughout the night.
In the middle of the courses, Nym's father rose, a glass of wine in his hand, and pointed it at the two dragons.
"Your Graces," he said, with a smile on his lips, "on this day, Dorne is not only celebrating your wedding, it is also celebrating the return of House Targaryen to Westeros. As your most faithful allies and your most fervent supporters, we can only wish you all the happiness in the world for your marriage. Long may they reign!"
"Long may they reign!" the words echoed through the halls under a thunder of cheers and applause.
King Aegon then rose up himself and addressed the audience.
"I thank you for your kind words, Prince Oberyn, and you will find that we are just as generous as you have been to us," Aegon then turned to Quentyn, "Prince Quentyn, would you rise and come, please?"
Quentyn rose and bowed in front of Aegon.
"For your loyalty and the help you have given us in all forms, the rights and privileges that Dorne had been stripped of under the reign of the Usurper are now reinstated with some new additions," Aegon cleared his throat, "Dorne will be able to control its internal affairs without any intervention of the Crown. Any internal Dornish conflict is to be taken to the leader of House Martell, who can then choose to defer it to the highest authority in the kingdoms."
Nymeria smiled from ear to ear, and she was not the only one.
This was the main political concession they had been able to get. It didn't look like much, but it ensured that Dorne now had a free hand in all of their territories, including the newly annexed ones. The Stormlanders inhabiting these areas had been effectively sold out by the Crown, and Dorne had paved the way to a future independence.
This independence was not for now, no. But in a few generations, certainly, as Dorne had developed and would continue to develop a largely different identity to that of the rest of the Kingdoms.
Quentyn did not smile, but instead accepted the declaration with humility.
The Queen was the next to speak.
"And, Prince Oberyn, for your own generous efforts throughout the years, and your unwavering support for our cause, we have decided to reward you."
Nymeria's father looked surprised, but the next words stunned him.
"Your paramour, Lady Ellaria, is therefore legitimized as Ellaria Redvyper. All of her children by you are also legitimized as members of House Redvyper. Prince Quentyn will ensure that they will inherit a proper keep."
Her father was stunned, but graciously accepted the gift, sparing an annoyed look towards Quentyn.
Nevertheless, the celebrations continued on.
Once everyone had their fill, it was time for the dance.
As was tradition in Dorne, the newlyweds opened the floor, under the looks of everyone present.
It was obvious neither King Aegon nor Queen Daenerys had been taught to do so, but much of the audience was now too drunk to care about such trivial things. The crowd cheered as the two dragons led the dance, now quickly followed by the rest of the nobles.
Nymeria took Quentyn's arm and almost dragged him to the dance floor, giving him a quick kiss on the lips as she brought her hands to his hips, leading the way.
Quentyn's movements were awkward, but by no means clumsy. She lost herself in his arms, moving at the rhythm of the music.
The end of the song came too fast for her liking, and she instead had to be given away.
Quentyn, lucky as he was, was thrown into the arms of the Queen, who was all too happy to dance with someone as inexperienced as she was in this affair. Aegon found a partner in the presence of Lady Myrcella, while Nymeria just swapped brothers as she found Prince Trystane.
Trystane was much more confident and skilled than Quentyn when it came to dancing. His movements were clear and his steps a lot more marked. This time, it was her turn to be led.
"Will you marry my brother?" Trystane asked between their movements.
That question caught Nym off-guard.
"I'm a bastard, Trys, we can't marry," she answered.
"So was aunt Ellaria, and the Queen legitimized her. So was Myrcella, and yet Quentyn asked the King to legitimize her too. Why couldn't Aegon do the same for you, especially with your mother here?" Trystane asked.
"Politics, Trys," Nym answered, sure of her answer.
Ellaria had been easy, her father and her had been essentially married for a while. As for Myrcella, the legitimization was only as Trystane's wife and under the guise of a new name, not a full one.
Dorne would already have to endure two bastard marriages, they would not accept a third.
This did not bother Nymeria much more, though. She knew that whoever Quentyn married, their love for each other would not fade.
Trystane looked at her, confused.
"I wouldn't have cared. I would've married you anyway, and those Dornish lords could have just seen if I cared about that. It's not like they could do much to oppose it."
Nymeria wondered if there was not a pinch of truth in what Trystane said. Surely, Quentyn had given Dorne a lot more than the other way around. And yet, it was necessary…
Nymeria then gave Trystane away, and danced with Ned Dayne, before heading to rest, her head spinning.
There, she watched as Aegon danced with both Princess Sansa and Lady Shireen, while Queen Daenerys gave a dance to Ned Dayne and Cletus Yronwood. As for Quentyn, he danced with Jennelyn Fowler, both laughing as they did, then Myria Jordayne, the beautiful heir to the Tor, and, finally, Sansa Stark, once her turn with Aegon was over.
Then, a loud cheer resonated through the hall.
"It's time for the bedding!"
A large clamor rose and the newlyweds, were, according to Dornish tradition, lifted onto chairs and carried by the crowd to their rooms.
Aegon and Daenerys watched in surprise as they were carried by the enthusiastic Dornishmen through a cheering crowd atop their makeshift thrones.
Nymeria and Quentyn joined the procession up to the doors of their rooms, where the seats were brought down and the bride and groom were subjected to the usual pleasantries of the bedding ceremony.
Thankfully for them, Aegon and Daenerys weren't bothered that much compared to the usual. It's true that the nervousness of having to undress someone whose dragon could easily burn you to a crisp wasn't that tempting.
Nevertheless, it didn't mean that both were not unharmed. Aegon's chest found itself bare, while Daenerys' dress was ripped open in several places.
Thankfully, it was a short walk from the place where the seats were put down to their rooms, where they would finally be free of company.
Prince Oberyn had the honor of escorting Queen Daenerys into the room, while it was Lady Nymella Toland who escorted King Aegon.
They were to ensure the two newlyweds were comfortable enough before leaving. In Dornish weddings, they would also sometimes start to see the bedding, but that would not be the case here, both her father and Lady Nymella were not going to be so bold.
As they came out, they then addressed the crowd:
"Well then, my lords and ladies, the bedding is complete, let us leave our love birds to it, and get back to the party!"
Another cheer rose, while some in the crowd decided to end – or start, depending on the point of view – the night early.
Quentyn then walked to Nymeria, looking on as the Dornishmen dispersed back into the hall.
"Can we go outside?" Nymeria asked, "my head is spinning."
"I think it's an excellent idea," Quentyn nodded.
The two of them made their way out of the great hall and towards one of the terraces overlooking the gardens.
"What a beautiful night," Quentyn remarked, looking at the stars.
"And what a beautiful party this was," Nymeria laughed, holding his hand.
"I'm beginning to understand Father's point." Quentyn turned to her with a sad smile.
"What do you mean?"
"All this," Quentyn explained, "all of the joy, love and laughter. Of the many guests here tonight, how many in a few moons will not be able to smile, love or laugh anymore? How many wives will not wear bright colors but black? How many children will be fatherless?"
"We have dragons," Nymeria pointed out, "one can hope nearly all of them will come back."
"That's what I thought too," Quentyn replied, "but what if Daeron doesn't want to fold easily? What if he wished to fight with all his forces? This would be disastrous…"
"And that's what we're here for, no?" Nymeria asked, "to make him see reason. To show him that it is stupid to continue to fight when there is nothing left to be gained from it. That he has much more to gain by bending the knee."
"Let's hope so, love," Quentyn nodded, "because if we do end up having to fight, I may not really forgive myself for having led so many young Dornishmen and women to their deaths."
"You have to stop thinking about these things," Nymeria purred, getting close to him, putting a hand on his lap, "think about your nameday instead."
"I had almost forgotten about it," Quentyn admitted, "with all that was going on…"
"Well, I remembered." Nymeria looked at him in the eyes and smirked. "And I got you something."
"Now I'm intrigued."
"I got you two hawks."
"I don't really like hunting, but I appreciate the attention."
Nymeria looked at him, surprised, but instead smirked and moved to his ear.
"I don't think you understand, cousin," she whispered, "two hawks for you, and one for me."
"Oh," Quentyn blushed slightly, "but I thought I saw Delilah run off with that Blackmont boy?"
"I think you forgot that Fiora Fowler exists, cousin. Luckily, I remembered and I'm sure you'll do from now on as well. Now let's not keep our guests waiting, shall we?"
Quentyn rose at the same time as she.
"You're right. After all, the married couple shouldn't have all the fun tonight."
