The Conqueror's Brother

Chapter 5

The war with Dorne went on for two more years. The Dornish in vengeance had killed Lord Connington of Griffin's Roost while he was on a hunt, Lord Mertyns of Mistwood was poisoned with his whole family with a cask of Dornish wine, and Lord Fell smothered in a King's Landing brothel. Even The Reach was not spared, assassins falling on the nobles of Oldtown, Three Towers and The Arbor. The Targaryens themselves weren't exempt, being attacked at various times. None of which The Targaryens took silently. Each death was avenged by a dragon. Aegon himself went and put The Tor to torch on the back of Balerion. Vhagar caused similar destruction at Godsgrace. News of Rhaenys no longer taking part in this war had come as a relief to The Dornish, who had thought that Meraxes and her were responsible for the "Six Pointed Vengeance" as some called it, for trying to murder a dragon. Few survived those attacks, and those that did were scarred and only lived long enough to say that dragons had fallen on them. With Aegon and Visenya occupied with destroying Tor and Godsgrace, Saltshore, Lemonwood, Wyl and Sunspear began their own defence preparations. Only to be thwarted when Maelor came on the back of Cannibal and put Wyl down in the same fashion that Aegon and Visenya were doing. With their backs against the wall now, Saltshore and Lemonwood finally broke and they bent. Sunspear remained defiant till the end until all three dragons had come and Meria Martell's own son surrendered their sovereignty.

Nymor Martell was a man well into his sixties with his own health failing and little taste for war. Once word had come to him that All but Sunspear remained in Dorne that had yet to bend the knee, he knew the dragons would come to them and make an example out of them as they had with the rest. So at the first sign of dragons in the sky, he had his men lock his mother in her chambers while he surrendered the castle to them. But The Targaryens' hunger for crushing rebellions was not sated so easily. It was the demand of all three present that Meria Martell is presented before them.

Princess Meria Martell was brought forward, cursing every name that came to her mind. Especially that of her craven son and the demons of Targaryen. "I will not make a Kinslayer out of you, nor will I have you watch this" King Aegon had said to Nymor once the verdict was passed. The Prince and his daughter were taken away, while his mother, the Princess Meria was bathed in black, green and bronze. As big a pain as she was, she had the respect of all three Targaryen siblings. As such, they felt that her death should not be a mundane one. Death by dragon fire was the best choice for them.

As a sign of peace Prince Nymor had offered the hand of his own daughter. The King had two wives, and he was known to say no to any other women that were presented to him. But he had a brother, someone who had gained just as fearsome of a reputation once word of him being the one behind the "Sin Pointed Vengeance" was more well spread. So the proposal was presented to him. Maelor was polite in declining it. Unlike his brother, he was happy with the one wife he had.

The two years that are better known as "The Dornish War" years weren't just about the war. Maelor had married Manfred Hightower's daughter, a pretty maid by the name of Alayne Hightower. She had the looks of a Valyrian, with silver hair, blue eyes and a figure that most women commented was good for bearing children. They married in 11 AC, a few months before Lord Manfred had passed away and his heir succeeded him. Maelor was thirty-seven at the time, and Alayne was barely twenty. But it was obvious from early on that Maelor was very fond of his wife, and his wife was dutiful and fond of him. They had their first child at the beginning of the twelfth year of Aegon's conquest, named Aerion Targaryen after Maelor's father.

As the fates would have it, Aerion would go on to inherit Oldtown through his mother. For when the assassins had fallen on Oldtown, they had killed Manfred Hightower's sons and raped and sold his daughters. Alayne was the only lucky one to survive since she had already been married by then and was with Maelor at Dragonstone. With nobody left to inherit, Oldtown passed to Alayne's children.