Wright had Ashara take the three little girls to the castle while he used magic assistance to run wildly across the rooftops of the city.
When he reached the inner city, he saw many nobles rushing toward the castle. By the time he entered, everyone Wright knew was gathered at the door of the master bedroom, all with smiles on their faces.
"Lord Wright is back!"
Someone called out, and the crowd parted, giving him a clear path as they congratulated him.
Wright was nervous as could be. He dashed into the bedroom and saw the baby had already been born and cleaned. Nymeria was holding him in her arms. "So soon?" Wright asked.
"When the guards went out to find you, I started having a little pain in my belly, and then he was born. It didn't really hurt that much," Nymeria said lightly, not wanting to pressure her sister Tyene.
"That's good!" Wright thought for a moment. Nymeria was tall for a woman, over one meter seventy, with a larger pelvic frame, so childbirth should have been smoother for her.
"I've already used magic to heal Nymeria," Tyene, with her pregnant belly, said from the side.
In the room, there were maids, noblewomen, and a few female mages. Seeing that Nymeria seemed to be in good spirits, Wright cast another healing spell on her.
"Don't let the light shine in the baby's eyes!" The golden light of the healing magic began to wrap around Nymeria, and she quickly covered the baby's eyes.
Wright smiled and walked over to her. "He's not that delicate! Let me take a look at the baby!"
"It's a boy! Blue eyes," Nymeria said, pulling the blanket aside to reveal the baby to Wright.
"Hey!" Wright stretched out his finger, about to poke the baby's cheek, but quickly withdrew his hand. After all, this was his own son; he didn't want to hurt him.
The baby was already asleep, with a thick head of black hair and slightly reddened skin. Wright placed one hand on the floor, and an invisible magic array unfolded beneath him.
This magic array had already been taught to other mages. Due to their limited aptitude, only a few could use it properly, but they all understood the purpose of the spell.
"How is he?" Tyene, who had been making little clothes on the couch, stopped and asked.
Wright examined the magic array, then replied, "A healthy child, with strong potential in all five schools of magic, but not a Dragonborn."
It seemed that the child of Little Rose wasn't a Dragonborn, and neither was Nymeria's. It looked like his own Dragonborn blood couldn't be passed down by bloodline alone. He remembered that when he had met his old colleague in the ruins of, the man, too, could not pass on his bloodline. Yet, a few dozen of his descendants had been Dragonborn for generations!
Wright also recalled how he had integrated magical items into the child's body, which would result in different bloodline inheritance. If he wanted to create a Dragonborn heir, it would require the Dragonfire Ritual! But he hadn't fully figured out how to perform it yet, and it required the Kings' amulets. Right, that old man had crossed over with all his belongings; if they hadn't been destroyed by the volcanic eruption, those items must still be somewhere.
Wright silently apologized to his old friend, buried in the Valyrian ruins, saying to himself, "I'll have to dig them up soon, at worst, I'll build a museum for you all in Volantis and display the items there."
He chuckled to himself. "Haha, this isn't grave robbing, it's archaeology!"
Nymeria raised an eyebrow. "What are you laughing about?"
"Nothing, just looking at the baby again."
In the following days, Wright organized a grand banquet in the castle. Though there weren't many people in Tyrosh, Wright generously invited everyone in the city to join the feast. He didn't care too much about the amount of gifts received, knowing that the banquet would surely make a profit. The noise from the castle over the next few days began to make Tyene feel it too.
Tyene had a more difficult delivery. Like most mothers, she experienced some pain, but there was no life-threatening danger. There were two heartbeats in her belly: the first-born was a boy, and the second-born was a girl.
Tyene was exhausted and resting in bed. Wright was holding their daughter while speaking to Quaithe, who was holding the boy. "So, is he the one from your prophecy?"
Quaithe gently rocked the boy in her arms. "Yes, he is."
Wright still wasn't sure about relying on a prophecy to determine the course of his life. "You know, prophecies about the future can be changed."
"I firmly believe it's my destiny," Quaithe said, removing her red wooden mask. Her face wasn't a shadow of blackness, but a beautiful, exotic woman's face, especially her lips, which were very red, fiery red, the kind of lips that could captivate anyone.
"I will raise him, train him in magic, and I will try to love him and bear his children," Quaithe said.
"Once he grows up, I won't be able to control HIM. If he wants to marry a mage, it doesn't have to be a noblewoman, but are you really sure he will marry you in the future?"
Quaithe leaned closer to the child's body, took a deep breath, and savored the moment: "My prophecy never mentioned marriage, only that my man is him, and he is the father of my child."
Ever since the dragons appeared, many people had tried to get their hands on his bloodline, but he remained untouched. Now, with sons on the way, those nobles had begun their maneuvers again. During the recent banquets, several had either hinted or directly proposed engagements, all of which were deftly deflected by Wright, who feigned drunkenness to get them out of the way.
Wright watched as Quaithe put her mask back on, the first to succeed in her goal. Wright didn't care about her deeper motives, as long as she didn't harm his family. A powerful sorceress staying by the child's side to protect him seemed like a good thing.
"Now that you've got your man in your arms, what about the child you will gave birth to?" Wright asked.
Quaithe opened the collar of her robe and let the child sleep against her warm chest. "I will die in the day i gave birth, but I saw his future in the the prophecy. He'll have many titles: Shadow of the Jade Sea, Lord of Asshai, Conqueror of the Exiled Lands, and more. He'll be able to shift into a black shadow, freely moving across the seas, and he'll chase and play in the sky with his dragon."
"Damn! He can fly, that's awesome!" Wright said in disbelief, unable to believe that his just-born son could produce someone so incredible.
Then, Wright's mind wandered back to the present. His two sons and daughter still didn't have names, and he immediately fell into thought.
Seeing Wright in deep thought, Nymeria and the others didn't disturb him and instead gathered in a corner, discussing child-rearing tips.
Wright thought to himself that, from what he could tell, his second and third generations would likely not be wasteful; even if they didn't achieve great things, they'd be able to preserve the family's legacy. And every generation would likely produce a few exceptional individuals.
His dragonlord bloodline had attracted the attention of countless people, with many nobles seeking to gain from it. It truly felt like a pack of wolves circling him. Thinking back to his own nature, he'd always followed a path of kindness and order, never seeking conflict. When the Draedic Prince bullied him, he could do nothing but endure. He hoped his descendants would have the strength to keep the small-minded ones in check, breaking the chains of the demon gods and defying the established order.
"I've decided!" Wright declared.
"Have you thought of names for the children?" Nymeria asked with a smile as she walked over to him.
Wright gently patted his eldest son's little head. "He is my firstborn. I hope he will lead the army, conquer the lands, and suppress those who dare to oppose us. So, I'm naming him: Darkseid Baratheon."
"Darkseid Baratheon." Nymeria murmured the name, which didn't fit Westerosi customs at all. Wright was so serious about it that she couldn't refute him and simply memorized it.
The longer the name, the more impressive, Wright continued, "If he can inherit Dorne in the future, his name will be changed to Darkseid Baratheon Namelos Martell, or simply Darkseid Martell. His name will be written in history, and he will carry my blood."
Recently, some officers had suggested using force to conquer Dorne, killing anyone who resisted, since they had dragons and magic and could wipe out the Dornish. Wright just smiled at their ignorance. He didn't have time for them. Why not conquer the vast, unclaimed lands of Essos instead? Wright wanted his descendants to rule Dorne, not wipe out its people and claim the barren desert!
He then walked over to Quaithe and looked at her second son. "He also has strong magical potential. He will inherit Tyrosh, which stands on magic. He will inevitably have to deal with sorcerers, so I hope he will be a smart and powerful wizard who spreads my orthodox magic across the world."
Wright thought of Tyrosh's most iconic architecture and gently touched the child's head. "His name will be Sauron Baratheon."
Quaithe pulled back slightly, as Wright's hand accidentally brushed against her chest as he touched the child's head. She leaned closer to the child's face. "Little Sauron, grow up fast."
Wright didn't mean to touch her; he was lost in thought, still holding his daughter in his other arm. "My daughter will be a mage. I don't know what her children will be named, but she is destined to leave a shining legacy in the family history. So, my daughter's name will be Lilith Baratheon."
The three names weren't exactly those of saints, but from the perspective of their original selves, they were people who dared to oppose the world's order and defy the gods. And these names had never appeared in this world before. Everything would start from zero, and in the future, history books would record whether their fame was good or bad. That would be up to them.
Once the names were decided, they spread quickly, recorded by scholars in various books, and carried by ravens across Westeros.
Noble families across the Seven Kingdoms sent their congratulations. The Lord of Tyrosh now had heirs, and the Stepstones would no longer be separated from the Seven Kingdoms.
The nobles of Dorne received the news, and some began to feel uneasy, while others found their resolve and set new goals.
On the third day after Nymeria's child was born, the former Sixth Kingdom of Dorne began to act. Starfall, of House Dayne, officially announced they would send troops to support Nymeria's call to the throne. Shortly after, their branch family in High Hermitage also declared their support.
On the fourth day, House Jordayne from Tor formally declared their support. On the fifth day, the family from the Kingsgrave, the Manwoodys, announced their decision to back Nymeria. By the seventh day, House Qorgyle from Sandstone and the Dayne from the Stepstones joined in their support.
Ashara proclamation sparked some controversy, as those loyal to House Yronwood claimed she was no longer truly Dornish. Ashara firmly responded that she would forever carry the Dayne name, and that her descendants would too. She argued that in order to prevent Dorne from falling into the hands of the Yronwoods, the traitors had to be punished, a sentiment that garnered strong backing from Nymeria's faction. Even young Edric Dayne, from Starfall, said that Ashara still wielding the ancestral sword, Dawn, proved she was still of House Dayne.
With support from other powerful houses—such as the Uller of Hellholt and the Fowler of Skyreach, both former kings of Dorne—four of the mightiest lords in Dorne had united under Nymeria's banner, officially forming the Loyalists' army, led by Nymeria.
Meanwhile, Anders Yronwood, the once-called Shield of Dorne, and now the lord of Sunspear, found himself vulnerable in his position near the Stepstones. He retreated to Yronwood Castle with the unconscious Doran Martell, Oberyn Martell, and Prince Trystane.
Following the public declarations of allegiance, many families with old grudges against the supporters of Nymeria turned to join Yronwood's cause. These included powerful houses such as House Allyrion of Godsgrace, House Blackmont of Blackmont, House Toland of Ghost Hill, and House Vaith of the Red Dunes. Even several knightly families once loyal to House Martell, like the Dalt of Lemonwood and the Santagar of Spottswood, switched sides. Other houses, such as the Wells, Ladybright, and Drinkwater, were also strong supporters of Yronwood.
By the thirteenth day after Nymeria's child was born, Dorne was fully divided into two factions.
On that same day, Wright issued a Lord's decree: except for Ashara Dayne, no other Dornish noble would participate in the war. He also stated that Dornishmen were his wife's kin, and he could not bear to see further bloodshed. As such, he would not involve himself in the conflict. The dragons would remain with Nymeria for her protection, but they would not initiate any attacks.
Once Wright's proclamation was issued, all Dornish lords issued the strictest summons, calling upon all men, women, and children to take up arms. Those too old to fight would tend to the supply lines. The front lines of battle quickly opened up, beginning with a breakout to join the main force.
In the port of Tyrosh, Nymeria, now fully recovered by magic, was ready for action. She donned her long-unused black Valyrian steel armor, and her spear—broken into three segments—hung at her waist. A burnt-orange cape embroidered with the image of the spear pierces the sun flowed behind her.
"If you have a problem, look for Ashara and Dickon. Don't rush to the front lines and try to kill anyone. Don't take off your necklace. It will protect you from toxins and diseases. You need to stay alive to serve your greatest purpose. You've learned enough of the Dragon's Tongue, and I'll have Odahviing follow you. He won't initiate an attack but will circle above. As long as you call upon him, he will burn everyone in your path," Wright advised.
"You never stop nagging! Come here, and give me a kiss," Nymeria said as she pulled Wright's head down for a firm kiss.
Wright, holding their two children, couldn't embrace her in return.
Captain of the Guard, Baron Swann, handed over a white cloth-wrapped shield to Nymeria.
Wright, shaking one of the children, said, "This is the Valyrian steel shield I forged for you the other day."
"Thank you," Nymeria said, kissing her two children, one in Wright's arms, Darkseid, and the other, their little daughter, Lilith, while Quaithe held her future husband, Sauron.
Tyene stood to the side, explaining the various alchemical potions in her bag—some for restoring health, some for antidotes, and a number of poisons to apply to weapons.
Ashara, also clad in the armor Wright made for her, though not in Valyrian steel, had chosen materials resistant to heat, with a black hue that matched her style and was practical for the field.
"Stay home and take care of the children!" Nymeria said, touching Wright's face before turning, flicking her cape, and leading the army onto the ships.
Departing from Tyrosh, Nymeria's forces, led by Ashara and Dickon Tarly, along with the Dornish soldiers already stationed on the island, numbered over two thousand. They would be escorted by the Tyrosh fleet and would meet with additional supply ships along the way. Sunspear was already prepared as a ghost town, and the fleet would bypass southern Dorne, entering the Brimstone River to land at Hellholt.