157 A bitter welcome
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well guys I'm back, I apologize for the absence but my flu got much worse and turned into pneumonia, now I feel much better I will do my best to catch up, but first I have to catch up on personal matters.
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-Pov of Doran martell seventh moon 286 AC
Once again, we will try to speak with the foreign lord and persuade him to consider changing sides when the legitimate monarchs return to their lands.
Last time, Arryn was very cautious and never allowed us to approach the Prussians. He had men watching us at all times so that not a word could be spoken without his knowledge, which ruined our plan.
Each passing day, the Prussians' position grew like a weed that never stops growing. There are more and more fortresses along the Torentine River, and the passage through Nightsong is almost impregnable since the Prussian knight-priests turned Nightsong into a massive fortress, controlling the entire passage with their watchtower system across the mountains, preventing the raiders who usually attacked the area from doing anything.
Among the news, which could be seen as positive or negative depending on who you ask, the assassins of the Prussian have begun to enter my sister's residence. On several occasions, they were caught watching as Queen Rhaella's children or my sister's children slept, only to disappear before they could be caught, or simply when they left the relative safety of the mansion to meet with some magisters, they would be surrounded in the street, silently watching them before disappearing without causing any harm.
This had all the loyalists nervous because they do not know how the assasins circumvent all the defenses and guards, and how they know where and when they will move in the city of bravos.
For Oberyn, it meant a threat, and again, he asked me to bring Ellia and her children to safety in Dorne. Moreover, each time he became more furious when more notices arrived that these situations were repeating... and it seems that my brother seeks to kill the Prussian... I must remind him of the plan because the message sent to us by the foreigner is clear.
He can eliminate the Targaryens with just one order... but he has not done so. That title of the most loyal lord that the Baratheon has fought to achieve is just a deception, since if it were true, he would have already handed over the Targaryen heads to Robert. So, that means that Lord Hohenzollern is willing to negotiate a change of monarch. But the problem is what he will ask for, since the circumstances have changed. I doubt he will even consider returning the territories we lost in the previous war. The territories of the Dayne that are now Prussian received too much investment in fortresses, and above all, the gold mines in the area, which fill Prussian warehouses.
We began the journey to the Prussian lands followed by a crowd of nobles and their servants to accompany us on the journey. And as we continued along the road, more nobles should join us, as we would go along the coast until we reached the border of the Torentine River and observe firsthand what the Dayne report about the changes in the area.
In recent years, there have been many changes in Dorne due to the effects of the war and our Prussian neighbor. Grains were incredibly high because one of the most fertile areas of Dorne was lost, but we were able to resist the blow to some extent, as grains began to reduce their price considerably with each harvest. Grains are cheaper, and the Prussians bought our products in large quantities, especially oranges and olives, which are very popular among the Prussians and have become an obsession among all the inhabitants of The Reach. And although they already have their olive and orange plantations, prices remain high because everyone consumes them, while the rest of the products sell well in The Reach.
So, the stability of Dorne recovered relatively quickly with the low prices of grains, as we do not compete directly with the Prussians like the other lords who were suffering greatly from the low grain prices by entrusting their economies to one of the most common foods in the Seven Kingdoms.
The problem with the new frontier is that many of the inhabitants of Dorne had the habit of carrying out small attacks in some villages of The Reach to obtain water and food that were not obtained in the most desert areas of Dorne. Now, with the new frontier and with total surveillance, carrying out attacks on the border villages was impossible, which caused many of the nomadic inhabitants of the desert to begin to settle in coastal populations or near the rivers, giving a lot of power to those lords who controlled the wave of inhabitants from the deserts.
Or, on the contrary, many of the inhabitants of the deserts began to bother the merchants who arrived or left through the northern passes. That is where one of our first active conflicts with our neighbor began, who sent us a letter with an ultimatum.
We had to enable a passage to the south through the Torentine River or take care of the bandits in less than two months. Or they would consider that we were financing the bandits and would use their influence with Arryn to carry out a punishment expedition against Dorne.
The decision was obvious, although I would have liked to test his title of invincible in the battlefield in the Dornish deserts, that would ruin any possibility of a future plan. So, we kept the letter secret and communicated with the Dayne to allow the construction of a bridge over the river. Fortunately, there is no animosity from the Dayne towards the Prussians, only a lot of disgust, but because the Prussians returned the ancestral sword of House Dayne when the Prussian knight-priests killed its bearer, they have had stable but not good relations. So, the bridge was built, and all the trade with The Reach passes through the area.
As we continued on our way, our retinue continued to grow, as more and more nobles joined our journey to Prussian lands. So, for several days, from time to time, we solved problems that arose because the population had increased greatly in coastal settlements.
Finally, we arrived at Starfall to cross the river.
The bridge was solid, large enough for four carts to pass at the same time if necessary... or military forces... although there was a part that was a drawbridge controlled by the Prussian side.
When we were approaching, we saw that in the middle of the bridge, where the drawbridge system was located, there was a marble statue depicting a man with long hair and a fixed gaze on his opponent. This man had wings and wore Prussian Gothic armor without the helmet. He was atop a dragon, impaling it with a lance, and with his other hand, he held a sword of fire, preparing to deliver a final blow against the dragon. The more I looked, the more details I noticed, indicating that the man who made this sculpture was a master artisan, as even the statue had textures and relief.
In its description, there were Valyrian letters: "Quis ut Deus."
While everyone was observing the imposing statue, the drawbridge began to lower, and we found ourselves with some Prussians who received us on the other side of the towers with the tower mechanism.
The skull hat showed that he was one of the Prussian light cavalry riders. As we approached, we saw his duel scars disfiguring much of his face.
"I greet you, Dornishman, in the name of God's representative on earth, King in Prussia Wilhelm von Hohenzollern, and invite you to cross the bridge that was granted to me by him in an act of greatness so that I, his devoted and loyal servant, may protect him, as well as his valuable possessions in my governance," said the Prussian governor, looking at us with hatred and disdain, pointing towards the rest of the bridge on the other side of the river.
"We appreciate your invitation... governor," I said, looking at the Prussian governor, who had his gaze fixed on my brother and had placed his hands on his saber, preparing to possibly attack Oberyn.
"Thank my king, Dornishman. If it were up to me, I wouldn't let any degenerate and corrupt Dornish dog cross my bridge," said the Prussian, his hand firm on his sword, before turning around and returning to the fortress guarding the other side of the bridge.
I stood staring in astonishment at this abrupt reception from the Prussians, who had always been characterized by showing their best face to others.
We began to cross the bridge and could observe the fortification protecting it: tall and thick walls that repeated in layers with multiple gates beginning to open to let us pass.
As we began to pass through the gates, we saw how all the walls began to fill with Prussian soldiers watching us as our entire entourage passed by.
"Do you know that if the Prussian wanted us dead, this would be the perfect place?... He just has to close some gate, and we're trapped between hundreds of those Prussians with crossbows," said Oberyn, looking around as more and more Prussians arrived.
"We're invited... he wouldn't do that..." I tried to say.
"Did you receive bread and salt, brother? We're in the jaws of that... eagle... If this is a plan to kill us, we fell right into it," said Oberyn, moving his eyes from left to right, observing the Prussian movements.
We spent almost ten minutes passing through the various walls until we finally crossed that fortress and found ourselves with a Prussian army in formation around the road.
Before we could worry about it, we heard heart-wrenching screams along with the sounds of hammers hitting something.
The Prussians were nailing people to crosses who were howling in pain.
As we watched, the Prussian governor approached us on horseback.
"Beautiful, isn't it? Punishing fornicators with a just punishment for their lustful acts with married women or women who are not their wife... We tried to save their souls, but they refused to confess. This is the only way they can have their redemption and be considered virtuous pagans in the eyes of our Almighty Lord," said the Prussian governor with a smile as he watched his men, after nailing those men, lifted the cross with ropes.
The governor looked at Oberyn.
"That's what happens to you, decadent lustful ones, if you try to break the law or do something like that in the lands that were blessed by my king's sacred governance. I myself will nail you to the cross... Although I personally know that the Dornish have their souls dirty and condemned to hellfire, but I will do my best to save your soul," said the Prussian with a voice full of hatred as he watched Oberyn closely.
"We will not break the laws of your lord..." I tried to say.
"The King in Prussia, that is his title, and you, pagan, will treat him as such or I will cut out your tongue! Besides, I know you will not violate the law. We have a zero tolerance policy with you, Dornish dogs. The slightest crime, and I will carry out summary executions, no matter if you are noble or common... Now, get out of the lands that have been ordered for me to protect... I only have fortresses, and due to security policy, no one without an explicit order from the King in Prussia to inspect the fortifications can enter... So, sleep in the field or seek refuge in some village," said the Prussian governor, returning with his men who were in formation.
We continued our way through the long double row of Prussian soldiers. You didn't have to be a great observer to see that Oberyn was tense; his hand gripped the reins of his horse tightly as we moved.
After distancing ourselves from the Prussian army, I began to receive complaints from the other nobles about the humiliating treatment we had received, and clearly it was.
Obviously, this would have to be discussed with his lord.
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