(Third Person POV)
Over the next week, the fighting in the sands of Dorne slowed down to a near halt. Oren Martell had been forced to write a letter that was sent to the entirety of Dorne, telling the Houses to stand down and enter a ceasefire.
While they reluctantly did this, they did not like the fact that a force of 10,000, Duskguard Knights led by Jon Riversbane, had entered and occupied Kingsgrave, Wyl, Yronwood, and slowly made their way to The Tor. This resulted in some rebelling and resisting groups that were easily put down by Jon and his men.
Jon took half of his men and marched towards Sunspear, showing no signs of aggression. This was an act meant to reinforce the position Dorne was in; that war was not in their favor. Drakken was not going to show mercy should they not surrender.
The Houses of Dorne had no choice but to step back and simply watch, trusting that the Duskguard would not act with hostility as they made their way to the Martell's seat.
The reason for this is to create a brief period for House Martell to negotiate with Drakken, who awaited the arrival of his men. Drakken was more than reasonable in this regard, telling Elia Martell that he was going to discuss the future of Dorne. He did warn her that the worship of the Lord of Light would not be accepted and that any Red Temples will be destroyed, along with their worshippers.
The Faith of The Seven would begrudgingly be accepted as they don't prove to be much of a threat to Drakken since he had Septon Barth killed, who was a major figure in their religion.
The campaign was a success for House Drakkengard, completely dominating their enemies in the sands, displaying a power that Dorne was reminded of. The Houses, along with their people, were beginning to get tired of constant death and destruction, reluctantly considering the idea of peace that Elia Martell had promised them a long time ago.
It was up to Fate now.
Drakken would decide the future of Dorne during the next couple of days.
And whatever agreement comes out of this, it would change the course of history.
In the future, an individual will emerge from the sands and will be responsible for a shocking impact, one that will take the world by storm.
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[Sunspear]
Tristeyn walked alongside Elia, "Are you sure you are okay?" He asked her as she held onto his arm, "Princess...."
They made their way towards the courtyard as they were called earlier.
"I am fine." She said
Her face was covered in bruises that she had used a bit of makeup to hide, letting her hair loose to attempt to cover the majority of them.
"Are you certain?" Tristeyn asked
"Yes." She said softly, "Thank you for helping me. I knew I could count on you."
"I never agreed to the abuse of my Princesses." Tristeyn said seriously, "I could not stand by and allow this..."
They reached the courtyard and Elia immediately stopped, seeing that Oren Martell was tied up to a post, bound in rope. In front of him, Drakken stood with his back to her. The sight of her brother covered in blood was an unsettling one but not something she was against.
Tristeyn shuddered slightly, "So..." He said, "This is Drakken....?"
"Yes." Elia whispered, "Be sure not to speak unless spoken to. And when you do, mind your tone. He is dangerous. The most dangerous man alive...."
"Years ago." Drakken spoke up, "When I let Oren Martell go.....I had no use for him. He was boring, I was bored in torturing him. I returned him to Dorne as a gesture of good will.....to show you that I can be merciful in the end. I knew that you Dornish would be resentful and hateful.....it is in your blood, I don't blame you."
Elia pulled away from Tristeyn, "Yes..." She said as she step forward, "My people.....they were angry....."
"Hm." Drakken said, "I was not bothered by it. I don't care much about the sentiments of mere gnats; I am above all of that. But since then, I have come to wonder.....Dorne could be much more for me.....and the future of my House...."
Elia frowned, "H-How do you mean?"
Drakken turned to face her, "At the time of the Storm." He said, "All that mattered to me was to show you lot the might of my power. I was testing out the capabilities of Ammaria. And well, you do remember what that was like. When I returned Oren, I relieved you of the debt you owed me. It didn't matter to me, my House is far more wealthy than all of the Seven Kingdoms combined. Regardless, I wanted to see what your next move was.....or rather, this one's next move. I was not surprised that Oren conspired with the Targaryens at the time."
Elia nodded, "I tried stopping him." She said, "But he did not listen....he locked me in a dungeon for months....starved me.....all while holding Tyene as hostage.....the things I went through.....because you returned him...."
"For that...." Drakken started, "I do apologize."
Elia was a bit surprised by this, "You do...?"
Drakken raised his hands slightly, "Of course." He said, "Allow me to demonstrate it."
Suddenly, a bolt of red lightning shot down from the sky, striking Oren and causing an explosion that shook the ground. There was no screams, nothing....only the sound of the crackling thunder and burst wood was heard.
Elia stumbled as Tristeyn held her, "Princess!" He exclaimed as he looked over at Drakken, "W-What...?"
Elia looked to see that the post was engulfed in flames, and the figure of Oren's charred corpse was visible. Some pieces of his limbs were crumbling to the ground and the smell of scorched flesh was prominent.
"From now on, You are in charge of Dorne." Drakken said, "As the God of War and Death, I declare it so."
He lowered his hands and turned around, looking at the charred corpse of Oren Martell. He could not help but smirk slightly, a bit satisfied with how this turned out.
"I...." Elia said softly, "We are free?"
"Of course, you can purge your House of potential traitors." Drakken looked at her, "You need nothing but loyal people on your side."
"I have them." Elia nodded
"Good." Drakken said as he walked over to the side, over to where two couches were adjusted in front of each other, "Come. Let us negotiate."
He sat on the couch and gestured at Elia to do the same. Elia then walked over and sat on the other couch across from him as Tristeyn slowly walked over and stood behind said couch.
Drakken crossed his legs and leaned back, "So then..." He said, "Anything to say?"
Elia frowned, "W-Well..." She said, "What is it that you want? You asked for a proper payment...and I just.....I want to know what I am getting myself into....last time I dealt with you, I nearly bled our people dry..."
Drakken looked at his nails, "If you want some gold, I can provide it. Three million gold.....as we speak, it is currently being delivered here." He said, "You can do what you want with it, rebuild.....restore your people's homes...I don't give a shit. I have plenty more where that comes from, Lyssa produces an absurd amount of gold every month."
"I see....." Elia said, "Thank you."
"But if you want to know." Drakken said as he looked at her, "This is much more important than gold, Elia Martell. Resources....that is War is about sometimes. Resources can be the cause of many wars and I believe you would know that. That is why we are here...."
"A resource that could be very valuable...and will change your lives forever."