Chapter 41 Chapter 41: The Princess on the Tower
This is a comfortable cell.
Arianne thought with relief: If her father had already condemned her to death, why bother to provide a comfortable prison?He won't kill me, she told herself a hundred times, he wouldn't be that cruel.I am his seed, his blood, his heir, his only daughter.If necessary, she could throw herself under his wheelchair, admit her mistakes, and beg for forgiveness.He will forgive her when he sees the tears rolling down her face.
Whether she could forgive herself was less certain.
"Ariou," she pleaded with her escort on the long journey back from the Greenblood to Sunspear, "I never intended to harm the girl. You have to trust me."
Hota snorted a few times, but didn't answer.Arianne could feel his anger. The Dark Star escaped capture, and as the most dangerous figure in the cabal she had assembled, he scurried away and disappeared deep in the desert with his bloodstained sword.
"You know me, Captain," Arianne kept explaining, "you have known me since childhood. You have always protected me, just as you protected my lord mother—you followed her to this land from great Norvos. A strange land, to serve as her bodyguard. I need you. I need your help. It never occurred to me—”
"It doesn't matter whether you think about it, little princess," Areo Hotah said, "What you do counts." His face was as stiff as a stone. "I'm sorry. The Prince ordered, and Hotah obeyed."
Arianne thought she would be led to her father's high-backed chair under the leaded glass windows in the vault of the Tower of the Sun.But Hotah took her to the Tower of the Spear, and handed her over to Ricaso, her father's steward, and Manfrey, the lord of the city.Sir Martell. "Princess," said Ricasso, "forgive a blind old man who cannot climb with you, my old bones cannot handle the long stairs. The house is ready for you, and Sir Manfred will take you there, Please wait until the Prince's mood improves before giving instructions."
"You mean the prince is in a bad mood right now? By the way, are my friends also imprisoned here?" After being arrested, she separated from Gaelin, Drey and others, and Hotah refused to disclose their whereabouts , "Everything is decided by the prince." This is the only statement of the captain of the guard.Ser Manfred was a little more accommodating. "They were taken to Claptown, and then sent by ship to Greyhorror, where they will be sent by Prince Doran."
Greyfear is a dilapidated old castle, located on a large rock in the Dorne Sea. As a gloomy prison, the most important criminals are often sent there to die. "My father wanted their lives?" Arianne couldn't believe it. "What they did was for me and for their love for me. Father's punishment should come on me."
"You are right, Your Royal Highness."
"I'm going to talk to him right away."
"He expected you to say that." Ser Manfred took her arm, and led her up the steps, higher and higher, until her breathing became short of breath.The Spear Tower was a hundred and fifty feet high, and her room was near the top.Arianne looked at every door she passed, wondering if there was a "Sand Snake" locked in it.
When her own door was closed and barred, Arianne began to explore her new home.The room is spacious and airy, and there is no shortage of decorations. The floor is covered with Myrtle carpets, and there is red wine to drink and books to read.In a corner stood a cyvasse table with pieces carved from ivory and agate, but even if she wanted to play, there was no match for her.She has a feather bed, and a toilet with a marble seat and a built-in basket of herbs to eliminate odors.The views from above were magnificent, one window facing east so she could see the sunrise over the sea, the other allowing her to look down on the Tower of the Sun, the Curved Wall and the Triple Door.
Exploring the room took less work than tying a pair of sandals, but at least it allowed her to hold back tears for a while.Arianne found a basin and a jug of cold water, and washed her hands and face, but no matter how hard she rubbed, her sorrow could not be wiped away.Arys, she thought, my white knight.Tears filled her eyes, and suddenly, she cried, her whole body convulsing.She recalled how Hotah's heavy longaxe had sliced through his flesh and bone, how his head had whirled in the air.Why are you doing this?Why give up life?I didn't want you to be like this, I don't want you to be like this, I just want... just... just...
She cried herself to sleep that night... from start to finish.Even in her dream, she couldn't be calm.She dreamed of Ser Arys Oakheart's caresses and smiles, of his declarations of love...but the crossbow bolts stayed on him, and the blood from his wounds stained his white robes red.She vaguely knew it was a nightmare.In the morning, all will be over, the princess told herself, but when morning came, she was still in prison, Ser Arys was still dead, and Myrcella... I didn't think of it, I didn't think of it.I didn't want to hurt that girl, I just wanted her to be queen.If we hadn't been betrayed...
"An informer," Hotah had said, and it still pissed her off.Arianne kept recalling, adding fuel to the anger in her heart.Anger is stronger than tears, stronger than sadness, stronger than dejection.It was reported that someone she trusted killed Alex Oakheart. Although his death was caused by the ax of the captain of the guard, it was also caused by the traitor who reported the blood on Myrcella's face. of.There was an informer, someone she loved.This is the cruelest wound.
At the foot of the bed she found a cedar chest full of her clothes, and she took off her dusty coats—she had slept in them lately—and found a most revealing silk dress, the strands of which covered everything. , but nothing was hidden.Prince Doran might treat her like a child, but she wouldn't dress like a child.Such a costume would bother his father if he came to scold her for kidnapping Myrcella and fleeing.She is counting on this.If I must prostrate and cry, do so with maximum effect.
She thought he would come that day, but when the door finally opened it turned out to be just the servants delivering lunch. "When can I see my father?" she asked.No one answered.Servants served up kid goat roasted with lemon and honey, grape leaves stuffed with raisins, onions, mushrooms and dragon peppers. "I'm not hungry," Arianne said.Her friends were eating biscuits and corned beef on the boat to Greyfort. "Take these and bring me Prince Doran." They left food, but Father did not come.After a while, hunger weakened her resolve, and she sat down to eat.
When the food was gone, Arianne would have nothing to do.She circled the room once, twice, three times, then three times, and three times.She sat down at the cyvasse table and moved a bishop aimlessly.She curled up in the window seat and read until the text was a blur and she realized she was crying again.Alex, my dear, my white knight, why are you doing this?You should surrender.I wanted you to surrender, but I didn't say it.You heroic fool, I didn't want you dead, and I didn't want Myrcella... oh, gods be merciful, that little girl...
Finally, she crawled back into her feather bed, and the world went dark again, leaving her with nothing to do but sleep.Someone informed her, and she recalled it over and over again.Someone informs.Garrin, Del Rey, and Spotted Sylva were all her childhood friends, as close as her cousin Tyene.She didn't believe that they would inform... In this way, only "Dark Star" was left, why would he hurt poor Myrcella?He wants me to kill her, not crown her, that's what he said in Sandstone.He said that only in this way can I get the war I want.However, Sir Gerald comes from the famous Dane family. Is he really the worm in the apple?Why would he hurt poor Myrcella?
Someone informs.Could it be Sir Alex?The white knight's sense of guilt finally overcame desire?Did he love Myrcella more than she, and thus compensate the betrayal of the old princess by selling the new one?Was he so ashamed of what he had done that he would rather throw his life in the river of green blood than live to face the shame?
Someone informs.When her father came to see her, she would know which one it was.But Prince Doran did not come the next day, nor the third.The princess could only wander alone crying and licking her wounds.She reads during the day, but the books they provide are extremely boring, full of long history and geography of ancient times, annotated atlases, dull studies of the laws of Dorne, plus the "Seven Star Bible", "The Chronicle of the Archbishops" and There was a huge book about dragons, and Arianne thought the dragons in the book were almost as boring as salamanders.She would do anything to get a copy of Ten Thousand Ships or Love of Queen Nymeria, anything that would occupy her mind, so she could escape the Tower for an hour or two.
But she had no such diversion.
From the window seat, she had only to glance out to see the vast vault of gold and stained glass below, where her father sat majestically.He'll be calling for me soon, she told herself.
She had no visitors except the servants; Bos with his unshaven chin, Timos tall and serious, Maura and Mailer as sisters, little Cedra very pretty, and Berenda, mother's old valet.They brought her meals, changed her sheets, emptied the chamber pot under the toilet, but no one spoke to her.She wants more wine, and Timothy will get it; if she wants something she likes, like figs, olives, or chili-stuffed cheese, she just tells Bellanda; Maura and Mailer take her dirty laundry and She came back fresh and clean; every other day she was able to take a shower and shy little Cedra soaped her back and rubbed her hair.
Yet no one spoke a word to her, and they would not tell her what was happening in the world beyond her prison of sand and stone. "Has 'Darkstar' been caught?" she asked Bowes one day. "Are they still after him?" He turned and walked away. "Are you deaf?" Arianne snapped at him. "Come back and answer me. I order you." The only answer she got was the sound of a door closing.
"Timus," she tried to ask the tall one another day, "how is Princess Myrcella? I didn't want her to get hurt." The last time she saw the princess was on the way back to Sunspear.Myrcella was too weak to ride a horse, so she had to sit in a sedan chair, with a silk bandage on her head where she was cut by the "Dark Star".There was a bewildered gleam in her green eyes. "Tell me she's not dead, please. What's the harm in letting me know? Tell me what's wrong with her," Timothy refused.
"Berlanda, if you really love my mother," she begged the old maid a few days later, "just take pity on her poor daughter, and tell me when father intends to see me. Please. Please. Please." Bellanda also seemed to be dumb.
Is this my father's punishment?Not a soldering iron, not a rack, but simple silence?It was so Doran Martell-like that Arianne couldn't help laughing.He thinks that his understanding is wonderful and profound, but in fact he is weak and incompetent.She decided to enjoy the quiet atmosphere and use this time to heal her wounds, strengthen her will, and prepare for what was to come.
It was no good thinking about Ser Arys endlessly, she allowed herself to think about the Sand Snakes, especially Tyene.Arianne loved all her bastard cousins, from the irascible Obara to little Laurie, six years old—the youngest of the sand snakes—but Tyene was always her closest companion, She never had such a real sister.Princess Dorne has a gap with her brothers: Quentin went to Irenlin when he was young, and Trystan was too young.She had been with Tyene, Garin, Dre, and Spotted Sylva the whole time.Nami sometimes socialized at their events, and Sarella was always trying to squeeze into a space that wasn't hers, but most of the time it was the five of them for each other's company.They played in the fountains and ponds of the Falling Gardens, and fought on each other's bare backs.She learned to read, ride a horse, and dance with Tyene.When Arianne was ten years old, Arianne stole a jug of red wine, and they got drunk together.Yes, they shared food, bed and jewelry, and would have liked to share the first man, but Dre got so excited that it sprayed all over Tyene's fingers when Tyene pulled his cock out of his pants superior.She does have dangerous hands.The memory made her smile.
The more the princess thought about it, the more she missed her cousins.They might be downstairs.That night, Arianne tried tapping the heel of her sandal on the floor.There was no answer, so she leaned out of the window and looked down.She could see other windows below, smaller than hers, some no more than arrow holes. "Tryne!" she yelled, "Tryne, are you there? Obara, Nami? Can you hear me? Ellaria? Is there anyone? Tyene?" The princess hung in the air for half the night. Outside the window, shouting until my throat hurts, but no one calls or responds.It frightened her beyond belief.Had the Sand Snakes been imprisoned in the Spear Tower, they would have heard her cry.Why don't they answer?If my father hurt them, I would never forgive him, never, she told herself.
After two weeks, her patience was worn to paper thin. "I'm going to talk to my father now," she told Boss in her most authoritative tone, "you take me to him." He didn't take her. "I'm ready to meet the prince," she told Timothy, but he turned away as if he hadn't heard.Arianne was waiting when the door opened the next morning.She squeezed past Berenda, smashing a plate of spiced eggs against the wall, but was caught by guards before she had gone three yards.She knew them too, but they fell on deaf ears to her pleas.She was dragged back into the room, kicked and struggled.
Arianne decided a detour was needed.Sedra is her best hope, the girl is young, innocent and gullible.The princess remembered that Garin had shown off having slept with her.So the next shower, when Sedra lathered her shoulders, she started chattering aimlessly. "I know you've been ordered not to talk to me," she said, "but no one said I couldn't talk to you." She went from the heat of the day to what we had for dinner the day before and how poor Berenda had become How slow and clumsy.Prince Oberyn gave each of his daughters a weapon so they could defend themselves, but Arianne Martell has no weapons, only tricks.So she smiled and charmed, asking no response from Sedra, neither words nor nods.
The next day, when the girl served her dinner, she started babbling again.This time she deliberately mentioned Gaelin.When Sedra heard his name, he raised his eyes shyly and almost spilled the red wine he was pouring.Oh, is it true?Arianne thought.
In her next bath, she mentioned her imprisoned friends, especially Garin. "I'm most worried about him," she told the young maid. "The Orphan of Greenblood is used to being free and unrestrained. Garin needs sunshine and fresh air, how can he survive being locked in a dark and damp cell? Greyhold won't last a year." Sedra didn't answer, but when Arianne crawled out of the water, she was pale, clutching the sponge tightly, dripping soapy water onto the Myrish rug.
Even so, it took another four days and two more baths before the girl was won over by her. "Please," Sedra whispered at last, seeing Arianne draw a vivid picture of Garin leaping from his cell window to experience freedom one last time before he died, "You have to help him. Please don't let him die."
"There is very little that can be done as long as I remain here," she whispered back. "My father will not see me. You are the only one who can save Garin. Do you love him?"
"Yes," Sedra whispered, blushing, "but how can I help him?"
"You can smuggle a letter for me," said the princess. "Would you like to do it? Would you like to risk it...for Garin?"
Sedra's eyes widened.She nodded.
I have a raven, Arianne thought triumphantly, but whom should she deliver?Among the conspirators, only "Dark Star" escaped his father's snare.But now Ser Gerald may well be under arrest, and if not, he must have fled Dorne.Then she thought of Garin's mother and the Orphans of the Greenblood.No, they can't.It has to be people with power, people who have no part in our plans but who have reason to sympathize with us.She considered asking her mother for help, but it was a pity that Mrs. Melario was far away in Norvos. Besides, Prince Doran had never listened to his wife for many years.Mother can't.I need to find a big prince as a backer to coerce my father to release me.
The most powerful lord of Dorne was Anders Yronwood, Lord of Blood, Lord Yronwood, Keeper of the Stoneways, but Arianne knew better than to seek his help, for he was Adoptive father of younger brother Quentin.He can't.Dre's brother, Ser Denzel Dart, had been eager to court her, but he was too loyal and obedient to fall for her.Besides, the Knight of Lemon Grove can only scare the little lord, but has no power to shake the Prince of Dorne.He can't. So did Spotted Sylva's father.Neither can he.Arianne finally decided that she had only two real hopes: Harman Uller, Lord of Hellgate, and Franklin Fowler, Lord of Skyreach and Warden of the Prince's Pass.
It was often said that half the Ullers were mad, and the other half worse.Ellaria Sand was Lord Harman's bastard daughter, and she and her litters were locked up like the other Sand Snakes.This will anger Lord Haman, and it is very dangerous for the Ull family to get angry.Maybe too dangerous.The princess didn't want to put anyone's life in danger anymore.
Lord Fowler is the safer choice.He was nicknamed "Old Falcon" and had never been at odds with Anders Yronwood. The grievances between the two families can be traced back to a thousand years ago, when the Fowler family followed Martell in the Nymeria War. , instead of Yronwood.Besides, everyone knows that the Fowler twins are good friends with Miss Namey, but how much does that mean to The Old Falcon?
Arianne hesitated for several days writing the secret letter. "One hundred silver stags to whoever brings this letter," she began, to ensure the letter would be delivered.She wrote where she was and pleaded for help, "Whoever takes me out of this house, I will never forget him when I get married." Let the heroes act.Unless Prince Doran disinherits her, she remains Sunspear's rightful heir, and whoever marries her will one day rule Dorne by her side.Arianne prayed that her rescuers would be younger than the gray-bearded old men her father had proposed to her over the years. "I want a mate with teeth," she had said to her father the last time she turned down a suitor.
Not daring to ask for the parchment, lest she arouse the suspicion of the guards, she tore a page from the Seven Star Bible, wrote the letter at the footer, and handed it to Sedra on the next bath day. "There is a place near the Triple Gate, where caravans will replenish supplies before crossing the Great Desert," Arianne told her. "Find a traveler on the way to the Prince's Pass, and give him a hundred silver stags to send this letter to you." Hand it over to Lord Fowler."
"Okay." Sedra tucked the letter into her corset. "I'll find someone before the sun goes down, princess."
"Fine," she said, "Come and report back to me tomorrow."
However, the girl did not come back the next day.Not another day.It was Maura and Mellor who filled the tub for Arianne, and they stayed behind to wash her back and hair. "Is Sedra ill?" asked the princesses, but neither answered.All she could think of was that she was caught.Why else?She barely slept that night, worrying about what was to come.
When Timothy brought Arianne breakfast the next day, she begged to see Ricasso, not her father.Obviously she couldn't force Prince Doran to come see her, but a mere steward should not ignore the call of Sunspear's heir apparent.
But he really ignored it. "Didn't you tell Ricaso?" she asked Timothy the second time she saw her. "Did you tell him that I needed him?" Timothy refused to answer, so Arianne grabbed a jug of red wine , all poured on his head.The servant left wet with wounded dignity.Father wants me to die here, Arianne decided, or plans to marry me off to some disgusting old fool until consummation.
Arianne Martell grew up hoping that one day she would marry the lord her father had chosen.She had always believed that this was the princess' fate... Uncle Oberyn held a different view. "If you want to get married, get married," the Red Viper warned her daughters. "If you don't want to get married, find happiness for yourself. After all, there are few happy things in this world. But remember, you must choose carefully. If you teach a fool or a thug Hang on, don't ask me for help, I gave you the tools to solve it yourself."
Prince Doran's rightful heir had not enjoyed the freedom Oberyn had given to his bastard daughters.Arianne must marry, she accepts
up to this point.She knew Dre wanted her, and his brother Denzel the Lemonwood Knight.Daemon Sand had even proposed to her, but Daemon was bastard, and Prince Doran had no intention of marrying her to a Dornishman.
Arianne has accepted this as well.One year King Robert's brother came to visit, and she did everything in her power to seduce him, but she was only half a girl then, and Lord Renly seemed more embarrassed than enthusiastic about her overtures.Later, when Hoster Tully asked her to meet his heir at Riverrun, she lit a candle to the maiden as a token of gratitude, but Prince Doran declined the invitation.The princess even considered Valas Tyrell, even though he was disabled, but this time her father refused to send her to meet him in Highgarden.Despite her father's objections, she tried to elope with Tyene's help...they were caught up in Wes by Prince Oberyn and brought back.That same year, Prince Doran tried to marry her to Ben Beesbury, a young lord who was at least eighty years old, blind and toothless. (Wen'heart'hand'play'group'hand'play'organization' arrangement)
Fortunately, Bisbury died a few years ago, which made her current situation a little better. Now that he is dead, it is impossible to force her to marry him.The Lord of the Crossings was married for the eighth time, and she was safe in that respect, too.But Elton Ismond is still alive and without a partner.And Lord Rosby and Granderson.Granderson called him "Greybeard," but when she met him his beard had turned white.At the welcome banquet, he fell asleep between two courses of fish and roast meat.Drey said that was just right, because their sigil was a sleeping lion, and Garin urged her to see if she could tie his beard in a knot without waking him.Arianne resisted the urge to play.Granderson seemed a cheerful and friendly fellow, less whiny than Eastmond and more energetic than Rosby.Yet she would never marry him.I wouldn't even want Hotah standing behind with an axe.
No one came to marry her the next day, nor the next.Sedra didn't come back either.Arianne tried to win over Maura and Mele in the same way, but was unsuccessful.If she can be alone with one of them, maybe there is some hope, but unfortunately the two sisters are like a wall together.By this time, the princess was even willing to undergo a hot iron, or spend the night on the rack.The loneliness was driving her crazy.What I have done deserves to be punished with the executioner's axe, but he won't even give me that.He would rather lock me up and completely forget me as a person.It is not known if Maester Carlotte is writing a statement transferring her inheritance to her brother Quentyn.
Days passed, until Arianne lost count how long she had been imprisoned.She lay in bed more and more, and eventually couldn't get up at all except to go to the bathroom.The meals brought by the servants were gradually getting colder.Arianne slept and woke, woke and slept, still too tired to get up.She prayed to the Virgin for mercy, and to the warrior for courage, and went back to sleep.When fresh food was brought up, she still refused to eat it.Once she felt so strong that she carried all the food to the window and threw it into the yard below so that they could not tempt her.The act took her strength, so she crawled back into bed and slept for a long time.
Finally one day, a rough hand shook her shoulder and woke her up. "Princess," said a voice she had known since childhood, "get up and dress. The Prince summons you." Standing above her, Areo Hotah, her old friend and protector, spoke to her.Arianne smiled sleepily.It was good to see that scarred face and hear that husky, deep voice with that thick Norvoth accent. "What have you done with Sedra?"
"The Prince sent her to the Water Gardens," Hotah said. "He will tell you, but first you must wash and eat."
I must have looked like a poor animal.Arianne rose from the bed, weak as a kitten. "Let Maura and Mailer prepare the bath water," she ordered him, "and tell Timothy to bring me some food. Not too heavy. A little cold soup, a little bread and fruit."
"Yes," Hotah said.She had never heard such a pleasant voice.
The captain of the guard waited outside, while the princess washed up inside, and then ate some cheese and fruit they had brought, and drank a little red wine to soothe her stomach.I was afraid, she realized, for the first time in my life I was afraid of my father.She laughed until the wine came out of her nose.She chose a simple ivory cloth gown, embroidered with vines and purple grapes on the sleeves and bodice, and she wore no jewelry.I must appear simple and humble, sincerely contrite.I must crawl at his feet and beg forgiveness, or no other human noise will be heard.
By the time she was ready, dusk had fallen.Arianne thought that Heta would escort her to the Tower of the Sun to hear her father's trial, but he took her to the prince's study.Doran Martell sat behind a cyvasse table, his gouty leg resting on a padded footstool.He played with an elephant carved from onyx, turning it over and over in his swollen hands.The prince was in worse shape than she had ever seen.His face was pale and swollen, and his joints were inflamed and swollen. Just looking at him made her heart ache.It made Arianne sad to see him like this...but for some reason, she couldn't kneel and beg as planned.She just said, "Father."
He looked up at her, his black eyes clouded with pain.Because of gout?Arianne thought, or because of me? "The Volantenes are a strange and profound people," he murmured, setting his elephant down. "I passed Volantis on my way to Norvos, and there I met Melario. The bear danced on the steps to the sound of bells. Areio remembered that day."
"I remember," Areo Hotah repeated in a low voice. "Bears danced to the sound of bells, and His Royal Highness was dressed in red, gold and orange. My lady asked me, who is this radiant man?"
Prince Doran smiled feebly. "Leave us alone, Captain."
Hotah thumped the floor with the handle of his longaxe, turned and stepped back.
"I told them to put a cyvasse table in your room," said the father when they were alone.
"Who am I going to play with?" Why is he talking about the game?Had the gout robbed him of his wits?
"Talk to yourself. Many times, it's best to study a game before playing it. How well do you know this game, Arianne?"
"Enough to engage."
"But can't win. My brother loves fighting because he loves fighting itself, and I only play games where I can win. Silvas is not for me." He looked at her face for a long time before saying, "Why? Tell me, Ya Lynn. Tell me why."
"For family honor." Her father's tone annoyed her.He sounded so sad, so tired, so weak.You are the Prince of Dorne!She wants to shout, you should be filled with anger! "All Dorne is ashamed of your weakness, father. Your brother went to King's Landing instead of you, and they killed him!"
"You think I don't know? Every time I close my eyes, I see Oberyn."
"There is no doubt that he is telling you to open your eyes." She sat down at the cyvasse table, opposite her father.
"I may not let you sit down."
"Then tell Hotah to come back and whip me for my insolence. You are the Prince of Dorne, so you can do this." She touched a cyvasse piece, a heavy cavalryman. "Have you caught Ser Gerald yet?"
He shook his head. "It would have been nice to have him. You'd be foolish to have him involved. 'Darkstar' is the most dangerous man in Dorne, and together you've done us all great harm."
Arianne hardly dared to ask, "That Myrcella. Is she...?"
"...dead? No, but the 'Dark Star' did. All eyes were on your white knight, so no one's sure what happened, it seems her horse was killed by the 'Dark Star' ''s horse frightened and dodged at the last moment, or he would have chopped the girl's head in half. The result was that the sword cut her cheek, deep into the cheekbone, and cut off her right ear. Carlo Tet would have saved her life, but no salve could restore her face. She is under my guardianship, Arianne, and she is betrothed to your brother, and under my protection. You have dishonored us all."
"I never thought of hurting her," Arianne stressed, "if Hotah doesn't interfere..."
"...you will crown her and make her queen against her brother. In doing so, she will lose her life, not just her ear."
"Unless we fail."
"Unless? It should be said that when you fail, retribution will come. Dorne has the smallest population among the Seven Kingdoms. When the Young Dragon Lord wrote his book, he was willing to write that our army was larger than the actual number to boast of its strength. Great deeds, and we'd be happy to go with the tide, so that the enemy would be fearful. But as a prince, I know the truth, courage is no substitute for numbers. Dorne can't stand against the Iron Throne, at least not alone - but that's exactly what you're bringing Ours. Are you proud?" The Prince didn't give her time to answer. "What shall I do with you, Arianne?"
Forgive me, she wanted to say something in her heart, but his words pierced her too deeply. "Just as usual. Do nothing."
"You make it hard to swallow your anger."
"It's best not to swallow, so as not to be choked." The prince was speechless. "Tell me, how do you know what I'm planning?"
"I am the Prince of Dorne. People will fawn on me."
Someone informs. "Since you know, you still allow us to take Myrcella away. Why?"
"It was my fault, and it turned out to be a painful one. You are my daughter, Arianne, the little girl who used to come to me with a scraped knee. It's hard for me to believe you'd be plotting against I. I must know the truth."
"Now you know. And I want to know who told me."
"I would want to know in your position."
"Will you tell me?"
"I can't think of a reason to tell you."
"You think I can't find out the truth?"
"You are welcome to try. In the end, you must distrust everyone... a little doubt is good for a princess." Prince Doran sighed. "You let me down, Arianne."
"The crow calls mynah black. You've let me down for years, Father." She didn't want to be so rude to him, but the words came out of her mouth.Well, I've said it all.
"Yes, I am too gentle, too weak, too cautious, too merciful to my enemies. Yet it seems to me that you need a little of that kindness right now. You should beseech my forgiveness, not provoke me further."
"I only beg for mercy for my friends."
"You are so noble."
"They did all this out of love for me. They shouldn't be waiting to die in Grayfort."
"I agree with that too. Except for the 'Dark Star', your conspirators are just silly kids. Still, it's not a harmless game of cyvasse, where you conspire with your friends to rebel and I can hack their head."
"You could, but you didn't. Dayne, Dart, Santagar... No, you would never dare make enemies of these families."
"I dare to do things you can't even dream of...but that's out of the way for now. Ser Andray was sent to Norvos to serve your lord mother for three years; Garin will spend the next two years in Telosid However, I asked for a deposit and hostages from his clansmen among the Orphans of the Green Blood River; Miss Sylva was not punished, but she reached the age of marriage, and her father had sent her to Bluestone City to marry Lord Esmond; , Alys Oakheart, who chose his fate and faced it. Knight of the Kingsguard... what did you do to him?"
"I went to bed with him, father. I remember you did order me to treat honored guests well."
He flushed. "that's it?"
"I told him that once Myrcella becomes queen, she will allow us to marry. He wants me to be his wife."
"I'm sure you did everything in your power to keep him from breaking his oath," said the father.
Now it was her turn to blush.It took her half a year to seduce Ser Arys.Although he claimed that there had been a woman before he put on the white robe, from the looks of it, she would never know if he didn't tell.He caressed awkwardly, his kisses were tense, and the first time she made love she guided him inside with her hands and he spilled all over her thighs.更糟的是，他被羞耻感淹没，假如他每说一遍“我们不该这么做”她就能得到一枚金龙，那她将比兰尼斯特家族还富有。他冲向阿利欧·何塔是希望救我？亚莲恩心想，还是为了逃避我，用生命来洗刷羞耻？ “他确实爱我，”她听见自己说。 “他为我而死。”
“倘若如此，他可以是那许许多多人中的第一个。听着，你和你的堂姐妹们想要战争，你们的愿望就要达成了。就在我们说话的当日，另一位御林铁卫正缓缓地向阳戟城进发，巴隆·史文爵士要把'魔山'的脑袋送来给我。我的臣属们一直在尽量拖延，为我争取一点时间。威尔斯留他在骨路捕猎鹰狩，待了八天，而当他从群山中钻出来时，伊伦伍德大人又摆了两个星期的宴会。目前他人在托尔城，乔戴恩小姐安排了许多竞赛，以示敬意。等他抵达魂丘，将会发现托兰夫人比乔戴恩小姐更好客。然而或迟或早，巴隆爵士终究会来到阳戟城，到时候，他要面见弥赛薤公主……和亚历斯爵士，他的誓言兄弟。我们该告诉他什么呢，亚莲恩？我能不能说，奥克赫特死于狩猎事故，或滚下一段滑溜溜的楼梯？我告诉他亚历斯去流水花园游泳，在大理石上滑倒，撞到脑袋，然后淹死了？
“不，”亚莲恩说，“说他为保护小公主而死。告诉巴隆爵士，'暗黑之星'想杀她，亚历斯挡在中间，救了她的命。”御林铁卫的白骑士正该为此而死，为立誓保护的人献出生命。“巴隆爵士也许会怀疑，正如兰尼斯特家杀死你姐姐和她的孩子们时你也同样怀疑，但他没有证据……”
“……直到他跟弥赛菈谈话。或许我们还得让这个勇敢的孩子也遭受意外？但这意味着战争。如果太后之女在我的监护之下死亡，任何谎言都不能让多恩躲过她的怒火。”
他需要我，亚莲恩意识到，所以他派人来找我。
“我可以教弥赛菈怎么说，但我何苦这么做呢？”
一阵怒意掠过父亲的脸。“我警告你，亚莲恩。我已经失去耐心了。”
“对我？”该算算总账了。“呵呵，对泰温公爵和兰尼斯特家族，你总是像圣贝勒那样忍气吞声；但对自己的亲骨肉，你却半点宽容也没有。”
“'吃得苦中苦，方为人上人'亚莲恩，你莫把忍耐当成忍气吞声。从他们告诉我艾莉亚和孩子们死讯的那天起，我就一直致力于泰温·兰尼斯特的灭亡。我满心希望，在亲手杀他之前，能剥夺他所珍爱的一切，可惜他的侏儒儿子抢走了我这份乐趣。他悲惨地死于自己生的怪物手里，对我来说总算是一点点安慰。不管怎样，泰温公爵正在地狱里嚎叫……但若你的愚行成真，成千上万的自己人很快就将加入他。”父亲的脸一阵抽搐，仿佛说出这番话让他感到痛苦。“这是你想要的吗？”
公主不接受威胁。“我要释放我的堂姐妹们。我要为叔叔报仇。我要我的权利。”
“你的权利？”
“多恩。”
“我死后你就能拥有多恩。你那么急切地想摆脱我？”
“这问题我该反问你才对，父亲。这些年来，你一直试图摆脱我。”
“那不是事实。”
“不是？要不问问我弟弟？”
“崔斯坦？”
“昆延。”
"What's up with him?"
"where is he?"
“他在骨道，在伊伦伍德大人军中。”
“我承认，你说谎很有一套，父亲，连眼皮都不眨一下。昆廷去了里斯。”
“你怎么会有这种想法？”
“朋友告诉我的。”她也可以有秘密。
“你朋友撒谎。我向你保证，你弟弟没去里斯。我以太阳、长矛与七神的名义起誓。”
亚莲恩不会轻易上当。“那就是密尔？泰洛西？反正我知道他在狭海对岸，正寻找雇佣兵来窃取我的继承权。”
父亲脸一沉。“你如此怀疑并不光彩，亚莲恩。昆廷才该是阴谋反叛我的人。我将他送走时，他不过是个孩子，尚不理解多恩的需要。对他而言，安德斯·伊伦伍德比我更像父亲，然而你弟弟依然忠诚孝顺。”
“为什么不呢？你喜欢他，一贯如此。他不仅长得像你，'思考'的方式也像你，你打算将多恩传给他——不用费神否认！我看到了那封信。”字字句句如火一样在她记忆中熊熊燃烧。“'有朝一日，你将坐上我的位置，统治多恩领。'这是你的原话。告诉我，父亲，你从何时起决心剥夺我的继承权的？从昆廷出生那天，还是从我出生那天？我究竟做了什么，让你如此讨厌我？”令她气恼的是，她眼中盈满了泪水。
“我从不讨厌你。”道朗亲王的嗓音像羊皮纸一样细薄，充满忧伤。“亚莲恩，你不明白。”
“你否认写过这些话吗？”
“不。当时昆廷刚去伊伦伍德那边，我确实打算让他继承我的位置，这没错。至于你，我另有计划。”
“噢，是啊，”她嘲讽道，“这些计划。盖尔斯·罗斯比、瞎眼的本·毕斯柏里、灰胡子格兰德森——你的这些计划。”她不给他解释的机会。“我懂，为多恩提供后嗣是我的职责，我从没忘记这点。我很乐意结婚，但你给我订的亲统统是侮辱，每次都是如此。若你对我有那么一点点爱护，为什么要我嫁给瓦德·佛雷？”
“因为我知道你会拒绝。你到了一定年龄，我必须让人看到，我在为你寻找配偶，否则必将招致怀疑。但我不敢向你提出任何有可能被你接受的人选。你早已有了婚约，亚莲恩。”
engagement?亚莲恩怀疑地注视着他。 “你说什么？又一个谎言？你从没讲过……”
“协议是秘密签订的。我打算等你够大再告诉你……等你长大，我本想，但是……”
“我现在二十三岁，已经成年七年了！”
“我知道，我知道。我瞒你太久，是为了保护你。亚莲恩，你天性……对你来说，秘密只不过是一个精彩故事，晚上睡觉时可以悄悄告诉盖林和特蕾妮。盖林会以绿血河孤儿的方式传播流言飞语，而特蕾妮从不隐瞒奥芭娅和娜梅小姐。若教她们知道了……奥芭娅好酒，娜梅跟佛勒的双胞胎又过于亲近。佛勒的双胞胎知道后又会跟谁去讲？我不能冒险。”
她迷惑不解。婚约。我有婚约。“是谁？这么多年来，我跟谁订的婚？”
“无所谓。他死了。”
她更加困惑。“老家伙真脆弱。是摔碎了屁股，还是伤寒，或者痛风？”
“是一锅熔化的金子。人算不如天算啊。”道朗亲王用红肿的手打了个疲惫的手势。“多恩是你的，我向你保证，假如我的保证对你来说依然有意义。你弟弟昆廷有更艰辛的道路要走。”
“什么道路？”亚莲恩怀疑地看着他。“你还隐瞒了什么？七神在上，我厌倦了秘密。告诉我其余部分，父亲……要不就指命昆廷为继承人好了，然后召唤何塔与他的斧子，让我死在堂姐妹们身边。”
“你真以为我会伤害弟弟的孩子？”父亲露出痛苦的表情。“奥芭娅、娜梅和特蕾妮除了自由外什么都不缺，艾拉莉亚和她的女儿们快快乐乐地待在流水花园。多娜在树丛中跑来跑去，拿流星锤砸橙子下来，而艾娜与奥贝娜已成为水池里的霸王。”他叹口气。“你在那些水池里面玩也是不久前的事情。你会骑在一个较年长的女孩肩上……高个女孩，细细的黄头发……”
“简妮·佛勒，或她的妹妹珍妮琳。”亚莲恩已多年没想这些了。“哦，还有佛琳，她父亲是个铁匠，她头发是棕色的。其实我最中意盖林，当我骑着盖林时，没人可以击败我们，甚至连娜梅与那绿头发的泰洛西女孩都不行。”
“那绿头发的女孩是大君的女儿。我计划送你去泰洛西代替她，你将作为侍酒服侍大君，然后与未婚夫私会，但你母亲威胁说，假如我再偷走她一个孩子，她就要伤害自己，我……我无法对她这么干。”
他的故事越来越离奇。“昆廷是去那里吗？去向泰洛西大君的绿发女儿求爱？”
她父亲提起一枚席瓦斯棋子。“我必须知晓你是如何了解到昆廷在海外的。你弟弟跟克莱图斯·伊伦伍德、凯德里学士及三位伊伦伍德大人麾下最优秀的年轻骑士一起踏上了一段漫长而危险的航程，在终点等待他们的是什么还很难说。而他所要带回的，是我们的渴望。”
她的眼睛眯成窄缝。“我们的渴望？”
“复仇。”他声音很轻，仿佛害怕会有人听见。“正义。”道朗亲王用肿胀发炎的手指将一头玛瑙龙塞入她掌中，低语道，“血与火。”