Witt looked into Oberyn's eyes.
"The situation within the Red Keep has surely spread far and wide. Jaime, as a Kingsguard knight, did indeed slay the king. And it was Tywin's man, Gregor Clegane, who killed the prince's sister and her children. At the time, only Lannisters were present in the Red Keep."
Witt was certain the two princes knew the news. The information came from Dorne's spies and nobles in King's Landing, and with multiple sources confirming the details, it was absolutely reliable. To ease their anger, Doran had asked Oberyn to hear the news again from Robert's brother, and to let the attending ministers and guards hear it as well, so they could spread the word to other Dornish people.
"My brother Robert only took up arms against the Mad King and Rhaegar. He didn't even send troops to pursue Queen Rhaella and Prince Viserys when they fled. He kept his promise not to harm the other members of the royal family." This was Witt's fabrication, simply to paint Robert in a better light, because Robert had completely forgotten about the need to eliminate the roots of his enemies during the war.
Prince Doran's expression changed, as if Robert knew about the secret transfer of the queen and prince. Oberyn's face brightened somewhat upon hearing that Robert had spared the other members of the royal family. Prince Doran looked at his brother and said to Witt,
"Your brother, Robert, has declared himself King of the Seven Kingdoms. The armies of Highgarden and Dorne, which were besieging Storm's End, have begun to withdraw. Highgarden has sworn fealty to the Iron Throne, but Dorne will not!"
Dorne had never formally sworn allegiance to the King of the Seven Kingdoms since its establishment; at most, it had only nominally submitted through marriage. Now, with the change of dynasty and the change of king, it was necessary to formally restate their position.
"Both Renly and I were young, and our elder brother Robert didn't tell us about these things."
Everyone pretended to be oblivious, not wanting to break the unspoken agreement.
"Now that the overall war situation is settled, Robert and I have discussed the next steps. We will hold an engagement ceremony in three days."
Marriage contracts were a common way to reach a settlement after a war, to prevent endless conflict. After the recent events, King Robert and Dorne needed to mend their relationship. According to their positions, it should have been Robert himself marrying the Dornish princess. However, Robert had already made an agreement with Tywin to marry his daughter, Cersei. Tywin himself would return to the Westerlands to retire, and Jon Arryn, his foster father, would serve as the temporary Hand of the King.
Robert and his ministers discussed the matter. Robert had no legitimate heirs without marriage, and so would have to rely on his brothers. After he became king, the status of his other three brothers would naturally rise. Stannis, who had earned merit in the war, would be made a duke. Robert originally wanted Stannis to marry the Dornish princess.
However, Dorne disagreed. Princess Arianne Martell, the daughter of Prince Doran, the ruler, was the first in line to inherit Dorne. Moreover, Prince Doran only recognized the Targaryen family. Prince Viserys was still alive on Dragonstone, and Doran held onto a sliver of hope for a marriage alliance. But Doran only had this one daughter, with the rest being sons, so both sides were constantly haggling.
Witt knew about this and proposed that either Renly or himself marry one of Prince Oberyn's daughters. Witt and Renly were young and didn't have any titles, so their status was naturally not as high as Stannis's. That meant the people in Dorne could correspondingly lower their expectations. Doran had no daughters, so he could only offer the daughters of his younger brother, Oberyn, whose status was second only to his own. Although Oberyn's daughters were all bastards, he could officially declare them as having inheritance rights.
After receiving the letter, Robert discussed it with his ministers, and Dorne also agreed. They planned for 5-year-old Renly to be betrothed to 10-year-old Obara, Oberyn's eldest daughter.
The betrothal hadn't been announced yet, but negotiations had been ongoing for so long that even the parties involved knew about it. Children couldn't keep secrets. Renly was afraid of Obara, and he cried and threw tantrums, refusing to agree. He made a ruckus in the guest quarters every day. Obara also told her father that she wanted to kill Renly and Witt at any moment. After learning about this, both sides reached an impasse.
Seeing this situation, Witt decided to sacrifice himself for the sake of the realm's stability.
He proposed that he and Oberyn would be betrothed to Oberyn's second daughter, Nymeria Sand. The eldest daughter was too old and still had murderous intentions. But the second daughter was only three years older than Witt, and they were usually quite close. Crucially, her mother was also a noble, a highborn bastard, and Oberyn had raised her as if she were his own daughter. The two parties finally agreed.
"The engagement ceremony will be held in the banquet hall of the Red Keep in three days. After the ceremony, you two will take a ship back to Storm's End." After Prince Doran finished speaking, the ministers and nobles congratulated Oberyn with smiles.
Witt looked at the Dornish ministers and nobles, who had been glaring at Oberyn but now wore smiles, and realized that the power brokers were the same everywhere.
"I've already sunk the ship. Let them walk back themselves." Witt's future father-in-law angrily waved his hand and left. He also had to save face. He had been so furious in front of everyone earlier, and although he had calmed down a bit, he had to maintain his composure.
The day before the engagement ceremony, Oberyn, witnessed by Nymeria's mother and some nobles, announced Nymeria as his legitimate heir, changing her surname to Martell.
Many of Dorne's nobles residing in Sunspear had arrived for the engagement ceremony. This event signified both the betrothal of the two royal houses and the end of the war. Witt and Nymeria Martell, dressed in traditional Dornish attire, stood in the center of the hall. The third of the Sand Snakes, Tyene Sand, stood beside them, acting as a handmaiden. Witt's father had passed away, so Renly had to present the marriage contract, which bore the seal of Lord Robert, to the witness, Prince Doran. Then, Oberyn, Nymeria's father, would affix his seal, making it the official marriage contract. Breaking this contract would be considered a disgrace, an act of betrayal.
Once the formal ceremony concluded, Renly, unburdened by ceremony, indulged in the feast. Nymeria, only half understanding the significance of the betrothal, knew she would be living with Witt when she grew up, and she was happy. She would turn her head to look at Witt from time to time, a smile on her face. The two of them followed Oberyn, greeting and drinking with the various nobles.
The day after the ceremony, Witt, Renly, and their guards packed their belongings, preparing to return to Storm's End. Oberyn had sunk Witt's ship. Since he had said they should walk back, they really had to walk. Because that was what he had said before becoming a father-in-law, and he didn't want to retract his order. Witt had to suffer a bit to let certain nobles vent their anger.
No one in the city dared to sell them a ship. The group could only leave Sunspear and head west, first passing through Godsgrace before going to Tor to buy a ship. The war was over. Ashara Dayne was also returning home to Starfall. The two groups traveled together to Godsgrace, where they would part ways.
Outside the city walls of Sunspear, Renly was already in his carriage. The convoy was loaded and ready to depart. The adults did not come to see them off. Princess Arianne and the eldest Sand Snake, Obara, represented their fathers, but they stood silently to the side, watching. Only Nymeria and Tyene stood in front of Witt, saying their goodbyes.
Witt took a package from the carriage. When he opened it, it revealed four books on Dornish martial arts, which he had written. Although the martial techniques were not profound, Witt had incorporated many of his insights based on his knowledge of the world. It was a gift for the four girls.
He gave the books to each of them according to their names. The princess and the eldest Sand Snake accepted the gifts, their expressions softening. After Tyene, the youngest, received her book, she started to cry, knowing that her friend of a year was leaving. Witt patted her hair to comfort her.
Witt handed the book to Nymeria:
"I'm five years old, and you're only eight. We have to part now, but I'll come back for you when I'm older."
Nymeria nodded in agreement.
Witt was afraid she would start crying as well, so he immediately got into the carriage and ordered the guards to depart.
....
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