Chapter 76 – Artican Trade in Westeros 03 (Dorne 01).
[Chapter Size: 3500 Words.]
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Oberyn Martell POV
Dorne, 295 AC.
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"Are you awake, my love?" A female voice spoke, and a man woke up in his bed, making him turn his face towards the woman with a small smile.
"I am always awake, my love..." The man commented, this man was not just anyone, but the Prince of Dorne, Oberyn Martell.
Oberyn Martell, known by many as the Red Viper, is a figure whose reputation precedes him in every corner of Westeros and even many places in Essos. Born in the proud and fiery Dorne, Oberyn is a man of intense passions, exceptional combat skills, and a sharp intellect that makes him as dangerous in a court as on a battlefield.
"That's good, I hope you are happy to have spent this last year in Dorne, without all those travels in Essos..." The woman commented while pushing a body off the bed to get closer to the man.
"Ellaria, you know I am happy, despite my brother being quite demanding, I like being here. Especially when I can take care of my niece." He commented while giving her a kiss.
"Even if she doesn't like your lifestyle?" Ellaria asked, returning the kiss.
"She knows that her uncle still loves her very much, just as he loved her mother." He said with a smile, in the bed where they were at that moment there were at least four other bodies of men and women in a brothel.
Oberyn's life was summed up in fucking, fighting, and traveling in recent years, but after a short trip to the brothels of Lys a year ago, he decided to return to Dorne, spending a whole year up until now. Since then, he has been taking care of his daughters and his precious Nyra Sand, who survived a tragedy that befell the Martell family.
His presence in Dorne consisted of sleeping in brothels with as many men and women as he could, training his daughters, and advising his brother whenever he was called upon, although Doran almost never liked Oberyn's reckless advice, he still listened to him most of the time asking for his opinion.
"That's good. How about we start fucking before the day begins?" She commented without any shame, after all, her life with Oberyn was all about that, pleasure always comes first.
"We should wake some more of them up..." He smiled and slapped the butt of a still-sleeping prostitute, who woke up with a scream, making Oberyn laugh.
However, they were quickly interrupted before they could start anything. The door then was suddenly knocked on.
"Oh, heavens! Who is bothering the Prince of Dorne so early at such a precious moment for him!" Oberyn immediately shouted.
"Prince Oberyn, your brother demands your presence in his hall, immediately." Said the man on the other side, a guard messenger.
"Seriously, Doran?!" Oberyn spoke in frustration... "Is it that urgent? Can't he wait a... " Oberyn looked at the men and women on the bed and then back at the guard. "A couple of hours?!" He said, still frustrated.
"Sorry, my prince, Prince Doran gave me orders to drag you if necessary." The guard spoke.
"Hahahaha." Oberyn laughed humorously, "Seems it's urgent... let's see what my brother wants..." He said, getting out of bed and putting on some clothes, Ellaria did the same, and they left through the door following the guard back to Sunspear.
It didn't take long for them to enter the imposing fortress of the Martells, Doran was sitting in his chair as ruler of the southern kingdom, he waited until the guards announced the presence of his brother, who entered alone leaving his lover outside to see his daughters and how they were.
"Brother!" Oberyn announced with a smile as he approached his brother, now with only one guard in this hall. Oberyn still wondered what was so urgent that his brother needed his opinion. He always found his advice reckless and kept saying that the Red Viper of Dorne was a hot-blooded and vengeful man for most matters.
"Oberyn..." Doran murmured waiting for his brother to approach, knowing that this man preferred to be in bed with his lover than to come here to discuss some matters, but the situation was too complicated to ignore and he needed to talk to Oberyn
"So, brother. What do you need to call me here this morning?" Oberyn gave a mocking smile.
"Read this." Doran said and handed a scroll to the guard he trusted most, who then brought it to Oberyn below the platform where he was seated.
Oberyn calmly took the scroll from the guard, unrolled it, and began to read. He looked back at Oberyn, a bit surprised. "Is this really true?" He asked with a tone of seriousness.
"Yes, 200 ships were seen flying the same flag by Stepstone..." Doran commented, the news had spread quickly about the sighting of that fleet, after all, this number was almost a declaration of war wherever it passed.
"How can ships like these be here without anyone having seen them before and where are they from, I don't recognize this flag..." Oberyn commented, looking at the flag drawn in dark ink on the parchment.
"That's the problem... No one knows... Some northern ports must surely know about them, but it seems they are quite fast and arrived even before the rumors..." Doran commented.
"And here I thought you would call me here to listen to someone complaining about raising sheep in the deserts or the lack of rain and drought. But this is quite interesting... Have they attacked anyone on their journey?" Oberyn smiled.
"This is no joke, Oberyn. And we don't know, the pirates are afraid of the fleet and are avoiding attacking such a large number." Doran said.
"Can't I get excited that there is something interesting happening after all my boredom?" Oberyn laughed, but before Doran could respond, a guard demanded to deliver some quite urgent news.
The man entered wearing the distinctive clothes of Dorne's military and with a spear, he bowed.
"My princes... 15 ships larger than any we have ever seen and an even larger one leading the other 14 are coming to the port! Their flags bear an unknown blue symbol with a white sail." The man reported quickly.
"So they came here... it seems they are merchant ships, since they sent only 15..." Doran pondered.
"Should I go, brother?" Oberyn asked with a smile.
"Yes, go see who these people are and their intentions, I want you to bring them here, I'm curious to know who owns such a large fleet, while no one in Westeros has that number of ships..." Doran said. The Ironmen might have a larger number, but that was a collective of all the houses, Doran wanted to see who had 200 ships under just one flag.
Doran continued. "But be careful, Oberyn. We don't know what they want or where they come from, find out everything you can, but try to be friendly at least." Doran warned with a serious tone.
"Don't worry, brother. I'll handle this with the subtlety and charm Dorne expects from its Red Viper." Oberyn responded with a smile forming on his lip.
As soon as he left Doran's presence, Oberyn headed to the castle courtyard, where his lover was training with their daughters that morning, "Hello my dears! We need your help," He smiled as he approached while Obara, Nymeria, and Tyene were training with each other.
"Father." They announced their presence.
"You returned quickly..." Ellaria noticed.
"It's true, it seems something interesting is approaching the port, how about we go there?" He said, and the girls nodded, Oberyn went to the master-at-arms and asked for about 20 guards to accompany him to the location.
"Let's go to the port," Oberyn said, addressing his guards first. "I want to see these ships with my own eyes and assess our visitors. Stay alert and ready for any eventuality."
"What's happening?" Ellaria asked.
"An unknown fleet is arriving at our port. We're going to receive them and find out their intentions and bring them to my brother." He said and led the way to the port of Sunspear, the desert wind blowing through their robes as they walked.
Upon arriving at the port, Oberyn instructed his guards to blend in with the crowd, watching discreetly as he and his daughters approached the dock where the huge ships were nearing. The unknown flag fluttered in the wind, a blue symbol on a white background that none of them recognized as the guard had mentioned.
"What giant ships!" Tyene commented, looking surprised.
"Why such a big ship, are you telling me there will be giants inside it?" Nymeria commented, and all three looked at each other before starting to laugh, unaware that they would soon regret their words.
The ship began to slow, leaving Oberyn amazed at the ships' maneuvering efficiency. They saw a small man appearing at the edge of the ship as it approached the harbor.
"Hold the brake!" The man shouted.
"What is this! A dwarf in armor?!" Obara looked stunned at the sight.
"What is this...?" Even Oberyn was surprised, watching the dwarf guide the ship to a stop at the harbor.
As soon as the largest ship had stopped at the harbor, all the other 15 ships stopped at various docks. They couldn't see the deck of the ship due to its size, but a man came out as soon as the gangway was lowered. Oberyn couldn't help but be surprised by the size of that plank, wondering what it was used for.
The man walked with some guards by his side, all wearing artistically crafted armor that Oberyn had never seen before... making even the armors of Dorne look quite poor in comparison. The man who approached seemed to be about 30 years old, he wasn't wearing armor, but rather a very expensive noble outfit, making the Prince of Dorne wonder where these ships came from since he was unfamiliar with that style of clothing or the strange and shiny metal of the armors.
With the confidence and charisma that were characteristic of him, Oberyn stepped forward, ready to greet the newcomers, still surprised by them. "Hello, strange visitors, welcome to Dorne! I am Prince Oberyn Martell," Oberyn said, taking a step forward and leaving his daughters and soldiers behind, as the harbor had already attracted a large crowd to see the giant and strange ships.
"Hello, Prince Oberyn, it is an honor to meet you as soon as we arrive in your lands. I am Darius Kutr, diplomatic minister of Artica, we are here to open trade and we are starting with Dorne," Darius announced courteously. Despite being a man born beyond the Wall and having lived his entire life as a free people before joining Artica, Jon saw potential in his charisma and invited him to train. Years shaping his current personality for this role, he became a very charismatic man, even among the people of the south. He had studied everything he could about the Seven Kingdoms before this trip, so he was well prepared to meet powerful figures and start a conversation.
"Darius Kutr? I'm not familiar with your house... you'll have to forgive me, as I am also unfamiliar with this Artica. Can you tell me more about this place?" Oberyn asked calmly, noticing that the guards beside this minister were calm about the situation.
"I don't blame you for not knowing my house, after all, it was founded in Artica a few years ago. Yes, we are from a kingdom beyond the Wall and are traveling south in search of trade agreements," he said with a smile like a negotiator.
"Beyond the Wall?!" Oberyn was surprised to his core by this, looking at the guards, the man, and the ships, where many men were looking at them from the edge with the same armors. He could hardly believe it. He had heard of this place years ago and thought it was completely absurd.
"Are you surprised, my prince?" Darius commented with a smile, maintaining Oberyn's title as a sign of respect, after all, they were in his lands, as long as he didn't need to kneel like anyone in the Artican people.
"What you say is hard to swallow, my lord..." Oberyn spoke with a forced smile.
"It is completely understandable, that is why our king decided to make this journey. We have commercial products that Dorne will be quite interested in once you see them. May I call my king?" Darius commented, and Oberyn raised an eyebrow.
"Your king? He is on the ship?" Oberyn asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Of course, after all, this journey is important for him to meet influential people in the world, I am here just for commercial contact," he said with a small smile.
"Of course, I would like to see this... your king..." Oberyn commented, and Darius didn't even need to call before a young man approached the gangway, wearing armor even shinier than the other soldiers, a man in his mid-twenties with an athletic body, and beauty and eyes more stunning than any woman present had ever seen, stepped off the ship with a firm posture towards them, four even more imposing guards were behind this young man, following him disciplinedly, they were his royal guards.
Jon Arctic approached Oberyn with a steady gaze, seeing the Red Viper for the first time, coming to the side of his minister, his voice was firm. "Prince of Dorne. Oberyn Martell." He merely commented those words, leaving Oberyn a bit disconcerted; this youth was not just anyone he had seen in his life, not with that stance and eyes.
For Oberyn, he was surprised when this youth bore the appearance of a Stark, so everything he had heard years ago, thinking it was just nonsense from the northerners, was correct. Was this young man before him Ned Stark's bastard? The boy they sang to be a legend in those northern lands and thought were made up of a bunch of nonsense.
Seeing him in front of him made him think he was wrong, and this young man looked exactly like the bards sang. But the Prince of Dorne was also a venomous viper, quickly recovering, he opened a smile, after all, he did not like the Starks, considering them guilty too because of what happened to Elia in King's Landing.
"You are Jon Snow." He said with a slight smile.
"You might consider that, but I am Jon Arctic now." Jon spoke in the same firm tone without being shaken by the provocation.
"But a bastard is always a bastard." He said those words, and it made the Arctic men grab their weapons at the insult, even the Dorne soldiers, a bit surprised by Oberyn's hostility, still prepared for a confrontation.
"That's strange, heard from someone who has all bastard offspring, you seem to consider your births low as well?" Jon asked in the same tone, he was holding back not to punch this man, already imagining how the Prince of Dorne could not dodge his punch from that distance and he would easily break his jaw, removing half of his teeth causing a cranial trauma, while his skull cracked with the impact of his punch, which would be at least a ton in impact.
[A MMA fighter can punch more than 100 kilos, so Jon must have strength in tons.]
"Hahahaha." Oberyn laughed, oblivious to being in a situation so close to death, he continued. "Of course not, after all in Dorne, bastards are treated differently from the rest of the kingdoms..." He commented with some humor.
"But this does not apply to a Stark bastard, does it? If so, we are leaving. I do not intend to step on a place where I seem not to be welcomed." He said knowing this man was already hostile to his blood and that he could kill this man in the next minutes and that would be very bad for his trade opening, he could destroy half of this city with his fleet, but as the first place he is opening trade, the image of Arctic would be destroyed when he has no reference before they devastate Dorne.
Jon did not wait for Oberyn to respond, he simply returned to his men. "Let's go back to the ships, we have nothing more to do with Dorne and we will continue our journey." His firm voice resonated, leaving Oberyn surprised by that.
"Wait!" Oberyn finally understood the situation and knew that it would infuriate his brother, Stark or not, he wanted to talk to this Jon Snow.
"We have nothing more to negotiate, Prince Oberyn. We are leaving and we will no longer have business with Dorne." Jon spoke in a firm tone while walking away just turning his face.
"And what if I don't want to let you go?" He spoke again with a dark tone, appealing to a threat.
Jon stopped for a second, he turned to the man and the crowd already tense with everything they were hearing, he grabbed his Valyrian steel sword from his waist and removed it from the sheath. Jon could have endured the insults, but being threatened? Then he would throw all his reputation away and would devastate this city after that.
He pointed the sword at Prince Oberyn, who did not know whether to be more surprised by that sword or by the boldness of the young man looking at him fiercely. "You want to stop us? Then you better prepare for the consequences." Jon spoke firmly and all his men removed their weapons, just as the men of Dorne quickly pointed their spears and swords at Jon and his group.
"Prepare for battle!!!" shouted a dwarf inside the ship, and Oberyn, as surprised as his daughters, were shocked when a giant in full armor went to the side of the ship and jumped off it, landing on the port.
*BOOOOOOM!!*
His impact left the people of Dorne terrified by what they were seeing, never imagining they would see a giant in their lifetime, let alone one armed as he wielded a shield and drew a huge sword from his back, ready to fight behind Jon, who had not even moved from his position with his sword pointed at Oberyn while the giant prepared to fight behind his king.
Oberyn had to swallow hard as more and more giants emerged from that ship, all armed like the first.
*BOOOOOOM!!*
*BOOOOOOM!!*
*BOOOOOOM!!*
*BOOOOOOM!!*
*BOOOOOOM!!*
Six giants were in the port, while the men of Dorne looked on in horror, wondering if they would really face those things.
"Do you think you can stop us, Prince of Dorne, just as we begin, this will turn into a massacre." Jon spoke with a somber tone to the now frightened Oberyn.
Jon was a step away from giving the order, already warning the other ships at sea to come here immediately, for they would fight against this city. However, something happened at that moment.
"Wait!!" A female voice came from the crowd, looking alarmed at Jon, asking him to stop, she was cautious of the huge men behind Jon.
Jon would not care for someone shouting for him to stop, with his total focus on the Prince of Dorne to initiate his attack, but something in that voice caught his attention, a strange feeling filled him, and his face turned in that direction.
His grey eyes with green circles met the amethyst eyes of that person, Jon felt attracted to those eyes more than he had ever been attracted to someone before, it disconcerted him for the first time, wondering what he was feeling while looking at that girl.
Nyra Sand was also as surprised as Jon, feeling a strange connection between them, drawing one to the other, she came running when she heard of the confusion her uncle was causing at the port, and her guards had difficulty keeping up with her as she ran. She was already coming here at Doran's request to see if Oberyn wouldn't do anything rash, but it was almost too late. However, as soon as she saw Jon, she got lost in his gaze, not caring that there were 4-meter tall men who would cleave a man in half with one swing, all she had in her head was, 'who was that man and why did she feel so attracted to him?'
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