Chapter 66: Dorne
'As I have mentioned before, modern scholars often do not realise how slowly information moved in the era of the Ruby Order when they write about which event influenced what reaction across the world. Yes, ravens could pass on crucial messages relatively quickly, but despite the popular perception, they were not nearly as fast as most people believe, nor were they available in the numbers some authors seem to assume - and in addition to that, they were limited to castles wealthy or important enough to warrant a Maester able to train and take care of the ravens themselves. Still, within Westeros, information generally could be spread at a decent pace, at least amongst the seats of the Great Houses and the Court, of course, even if it would take quite some time, weeks at least, sometimes months, before the furthest parts of any region heard the latest news. However, that was for internal communications. If one wanted to send a message to Essos from Westeros, one was limited to couriers using ships - even after Westeros acquired a permanent presence in Essos, it would take years of laborious effort to connect the realm's holdings with ravens; it was not until Maester Darius finally managed to train a particularly smart raven to navigate the narrow sea that they were successful. Until then, fast ships and, in very urgent emergencies and on special occasions, dragon riders, were the only means to pass messages. More importantly, with the lack of newspapers, most people only heard of events, even important ones, through hearsay and similar sources of dubious trustworthiness, which influenced their reactions.'
A Treatise On The Ruby Order, by Maester Kennet Bracken
*****
Water Gardens, Dorne, Westeros, 299 AC
Prince Doran Martell forced himself to smile as he watched the children play in the pools of his family's retreat. It was more difficult to put on a facade than usual. Not because of the pain from his joints - that was manageable today. No more than a constant ache, as long as he didn't move too much. No, because the greatest threat to Dorne since Aegon the Conqueror was headed to Sunspear, and he couldn't do anything to stop them.
His brother's letters, confirmed by a few select spies of Doran's in King's Landing, had been clear about that - those four girls would not let anything or anyone stop them. Oberyn claimed that they were stronger than any dragon, and while Doran had some doubts about that - what man, much less woman, could be stronger than the likes of Balerion the Black Dread? - he didn't have a dragon to send at them, anyway.
Not a flying, fire-breathing dragon, at least. The one dragon present in Dorne certainly couldn't face the so-called Four Maidens in any form of combat. Not when he could barely keep up with the oldest of the Sand Snakes in the ring. No, that particular dragon's presence was the reason the Four Maidens were a threat to Dorne in the first place. If they discovered him, the consequences would be fatal. Oberyn and Doran's spies both confirmed that the four girls backed the usurper's claim to the Iron Throne. With force, if needed. Overwhelming force. As much as he cherished the fact that the murderer - one of the murderers - of his dear sister had finally been brought to justice, the way he had been killed had been both disappointing and worrying.
Not for the first time since he had received that letter from Oberyn, Doran couldn't help thinking about how much simpler things would be if Aegon were not present. Only for a moment, though. The boy was kin. His nephew. The last surviving child of Elia. His survival, smuggled out of King's landing before the Lannisters murdered his family, would sound like a Mummer's play, but Ser Jon - Ser Jon Connington, Rhaegar's most loyal friend, a man beyond question who had gone into exile rather than bending he knee like so many others - confirmed it. Aegon was kin, and Doran would never sink as low as kinslaying - certainly not when the boy had not done anything but come to him for shelter.
He could send him somewhere else for the duration of the Four Maidens' stay, but… Who could he trust to keep the boy safe? Doran was no fool; he knew that everyone had their price. And delivering the heir of the Targaryen to the Baratheons would net anyone a royal reward. If it implicated Doran as well?
He snorted, though without feeling any humour. Any house that betrayed the Martells would be raised in status by the throne. Not high enough to replace the Martells - not even the Iron Throne would get away with murdering their entire house, and nothing less would let the King or Lord Regent raise another Princely house in their stead - but powerful enough to keep Doran's family in check. Too far from Sunspear and Doran himself, and the temptation to betray them would be too big. If not the head of a family, then an ambitious sibling would break their oath for this.
And who could truly trust the smallfolk to keep such a secret? No matter how loyal they were, the only way to keep Aegon's presence truly secret was to silence them permanently so neither wine nor gold nor torture could loosen their tongues. And those who were smart enough to be trusted with keeping the secret were smart enough to realise this. And, therefore, not trustworthy enough to let them live, which they would realise.
No, the only ones Doran could trust with this secret were those amongst his house whom he trusted already. And those were both very few in number and quite known amongst his court. If they suddenly disappeared for the visit of the Four Maidens, tongues would wag, and people would, at the very least, grow suspicious.
So, Aegon had to hide, if not quite in plain sight, then at the Watergardens. One more child brought here to be fostered. A smallfolk, a sailor's bastard from Essos. The Seven knew that the boy would not pass for Dornish. His father's blood ran strong in him. At least the blue dye in his hair, Tyroshi style, would make it harder to make the connection.
And Doran had to hope that his brother's children were smart enough not to let slip anything - he knew it would be futile to try and keep the Sand Snakes from meeting the strongest women in the world so he had not even tried to give an order he knew would be refused, and if Oberyn's children were allowed to meet the group, his own would not stay away either no matter what he wished. Well, but for Quentyn, who was on the way to Meereen.
He leaned back and closed his eyes, letting a servant fan him. Both Aegon's presence here and Quentyn's absence put his house at risk. But Aegon was kin. Doran would not leave him in Essos, where the Faceless Men would find and murder him. And with Aegon in Dorne, it was imperative to contact Princess Daenerys. Doran might not have flying, fire-breathing dragons, but Daenerys had them. And Aegon was her kin as well - and the rightful ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. With her support, perhaps, his birthright could be restored.
As long as Doran could weather the Four Maidens' visit without his secret being exposed.
He watched Arianne play in a pool with Tyene and sighed. So much was at risk. If he had known in the past what he knew now, would he have still acted the same?
He didn't know the answer.
*****
Water Gardens, Dorne, Westeros, 299 AC
He met with his nephew the next day. Team Ruby wouldn't arrive very soon - Oberyn had been clear that for all their power, they could not travel faster than anyone else, at least when taking a ship; his brother had been less certain about overland travel - but it would be better to set up things in advance. It made it easier to spot trouble and weaknesses before they became an issue, and it allowed those involved to grow used to new routines.
"My Prince." Aegon bowed as he approached Doran.
"Young Griff." Doran nodded, suppressing a wince. It wasn't a bad day, but it wasn't a good day, either. He glanced at the servants standing by to push his wheeled chair or carry him up some stairs, and they stepped away without a word.
Good.
Doran waited until he was certain no one was nearby to eavesdrop on their talk. He trusted the servants here with his dignity, if not his life, weakened as he was by his illness, but some secrets could not be spread; not when he had to fear people who could take the faces of anyone and replace them. If only he had a direwolf, he thought.
Sighing, he looked at the pool below the terrace upon which he was sitting. His daughter was sitting at the edge of it, chatting with Doran's nieces. She had been spending more time with them lately than with anyone else, he realised. Because the Sand Snakes were, in some ways, similar to Team Ruby, as women trained to fight? He would have to talk to her later, find out what her thoughts were. About their visitors, and Aegon.
But first, his nephew. "Young Griff," he repeated himself. "Have you settled in well?"
"Yes, my prince. Thank you." Aegon smiled with honest gratitude. At least, Doran thought it was honest. The boy had been raised by Varys's ally, after all, at least initially, before Ser Jon had taken him in, and Illyrio Mopatis was a scheming spymaster in his own right. Even if the man had tried to raise him as a tool, Aegon would have picked up some habits anyway. Such was the way of things.
But Doran had decades more experience in the game than the boy. If Aegon could fool him… Well, it bode well for any future plans he might have to regain his throne. Or, Doran corrected himself, it should keep him from being suicidally stupid, at the very least.
"You have heard about the visitors we're expecting?" It was the talk of the palace, at least amongst those who knew about it. Which were more than they should be. But if they were focusing on this, they should be too distracted to ferret out Aegon's secret.
"Yes, my prince." Aegon smiled. "Your daughter, Princess Arianne, told us."
Doran knew his daughter and had expected that. Arianne cared about and trusted her kin, perhaps a bit too much of both. But she would learn in time. Doran had no intention of leaving her the throne of Dorne before she was ready for it. "She did, yes. But did she tell you about the threat they represent?"
"She did not have to. Father did. And his friend."
Ser Jon was posing as the boy's father under the name of 'Griff', a supposed sellsword from Essos. As far as ruses went, it wasn't a bad idea, but Ser Jon had been well-known before the usurper's rebellion, and the risk of being recognised was too high to let the man spend too much time in public. Those who knew him in person would not be fooled by his hair dye, and given how close he had been with Prince Rhaegar, might make the connection; the man's proclivities had not been as secret as he assumed.
"Good. Do not let them know your parentage."
"I won't. I know they do not like Tyrosh for keeping slaves and might blame my father."
That would be an excuse if their visitors saw through his lies; another layer of misdirection, with a mournful story about losing his mother, a slave, to childbed that would hopefully touch the girls' hearts. "Indeed," Doran said with a nod. "Best not bother them too much." If he did, then his cover might not hold up.
"I won't, my prince."
Good. The boy understood the situation then. "They will likely not stay for long - they wish to return to their world as soon as possible." At least according to Oberyn; Doran wasn't quite certain if that was true or wishful thinking. They were the rulers of the realm in all but name, beloved by the Faith and the smallfolk, wielding power not seen since the Age of Heroes. Why would they leave all that to - if what he had been told was true - return to a world where they were merely nobles like many others? Doran would have to judge the veracity of that claim himself.
Aegon nodded, but he had a hint of wistfulness on his face.
Doran narrowed his eyes; that could be a problem. He knew how flighty boys of Aegon's age could be, after all - he had seen Oberyn at the same age. And both were close kin.
Perhaps he needed to impress the importance of remaining in the background a bit more on his nephew. If Aegon shared Oberyn's love of making impressions, and his appreciation of beautiful people, then things could become even more dangerous and complicated than he expected.
*****
Harbour, King's Landing, Westeros, 299 AC
There were too many people. Far, far too many people. Ruby Rose couldn't even start counting how many people were lining the waterfront - and choking the streets behind it, barely held back by a triple row of gold cloaks blocking them from rushing the pier where Ruby and her team were saying goodbye to their friends. And some people who weren't their friends but who couldn't have been blocked from attending without starting a blood feud or so.
And Team RWBY hadn't spent weeks solving all the problems they could find, playing nice and doing everything else they could think of to stabilise the Seven Kingdoms, just to mess it up at the last moment by being rude.
Even though it would feel great to, say, tell Lord Tyrion that this was strictly limited to their friends. But that would endanger his innocent family members - including Lancel, Tommen and Myrcella, all of whom were friends - and encourage some of the other nobles to plot and plan attacks against House Lannister. And probably get Lord Tyrion lynched, if all the smallfolk filling the harbour heard about it. Or assassinated, if a Faceless Man overheard them.
Ruby was really sick of politics. She couldn't wait to get home and just be a Huntress again. A Huntress who didn't have to watch every word she said before someone took it as an order. Or - she suppressed a shudder - a divine command.
At least, Lord Tyrion wasn't bothering her right now; he was talking to Leaf, Seeker and Dew. Probably just Leaf since the other two couldn't understand him. And the wind - a gentle breeze - was blowing from the sea, so the stench of the city was absent. That was something Ruby wouldn't miss at all!
She sighed.
"You're not having second thoughts, I hope," Weiss said next to her, smiling as she waved at the waiting crowd in the distance, two glyphs flaring in the sky above them.
"No!" Ruby replied. "Just… some thoughts. We probably should have done this in the morning. The very early morning."
Weiss nodded. "The tides weren't right. And most people would have come anyway. I doubt that many businesses are open today. Except for the taverns, of course."
"Well, at least the people got a holiday to see us off," Ruby said. Except that they didn't have paid holidays here, so a lot of people would be missing a daily pay. She gave another wave to the people - could they even see them? Most couldn't - and then turned to the group waiting at the pier with them. "So!" She took a deep breath. "This is it. We're leaving. So…" She swallowed. "We want to say goodbye to everyone. And thank you, of course." She took a step forward and bowed her head to Lord Eddard. "Thank you for taking us in when we arrived, my lord. And for everything else!"
"If anyone deserves thanks, it is you, my lady. Without you, none of us might be alive today," Lord Eddard replied, bowing his head.
Right, the wildfire. "We only did what anyone else in our place would have done," Ruby said.
He smiled at that, in the way Dad smiled when Ruby had said something wrong and he wouldn't correct her.
She frowned a bit at him, then addressed the next one. Prince Tommen. She bowed once more. "Your Grace." But when he returned the bow, trying to be all serious, she couldn't help herself and hugged him, even if Weiss would be annoyed for 'breaking protocol' or whatever. The kid needed a hug. "You'll be a good king!" she told him as she lifted him up a bit.
"I'll try my best, my lady!"
After that, of course, she had to hug all the kids, or it wouldn't have been fair. Myrcella, Sansa, Bran and Arya. After that, it was back to bowing and some brief talk about their time here. Lord Stannis, Lord Renly, Ser Barristan - whom she thanked once again for all the lessons he had given them - and Lord Tyrion, who had that smug but twisted grin when he returned her bow. Weiss could do that stuff better, anyway.
But their real friends…
"Brienne!" She smiled at her tall friend. "Thank you for being our friend! And joining our Order!"
"I'll try to be worthy of this honour, my lady."
Right. She was all formal in public here. Still, Ruby got to shake hands in that knightly manner where you gripped each other's wrists and then hugged her. "You're already worthy!"
Lancel was next. He was eyeing her a bit warily, so she shook hands with him but didn't hug him. "You too, thanks for being our friend, and thank you for being our knight."
That made him stand straight and push his chest out, Ruby noted with a smile. "Thank you, my lady."
And now… "Jon!" She beamed at him.
"My lady!" He looked like he needed a hug as well, but Ruby knew it wouldn't help. And it would only make things worse if Ruby hugged him and then Yang followed her example. So she shook his hand. "You'll do great!" she told him. "You're a great knight!"
"I'll try my best, my lady." Jon's smile wouldn't have fooled, well, Ruby at her worst, but calling him out here would be wrong, so she grabbed his shoulder and squeezed gently to reassure him.
And next… "Gendry!" She hugged him before he could say anything. "Don't neglect your combat training, you hear?" He needed it as King Robert's son. And he would be a knight. "And don't worry, you'll build a perfect bike!"
"Yes, my lady." He smiled at her.
Ruby patted and petted each of the wolves there - all were behaving, even though Nymeria was eyeing a barrel of fish or perhaps fish guts at the side - and then went to stand next to Oberyn, Ellaria and Marwyn while her friends finished saying goodbye.
Weiss, of course, spent as much time saying goodbye to the wolves as she did with all the people, and Ruby almost made a quip about her dress looking like fur with all the hairs on it when she joined Ruby. But Yang saying goodbye to Jon distracted her. Yang tried to cheer him up, but Jon only nodded with that sad smile of his when she grabbed his shoulders and squeezed a bit.
"I think he'll be brooding for a while once we've left," Weiss commented in a low voice.
Ruby nodded. Heartbreak was the worst. Or so she'd heard. Couldn't be worse than breaking Crescent Rose, though. That would break her heart and her weapon.
Of course, Ruby thought as she blinked a bit to clear her suddenly wet eyes, leaving friends was also hard. If everything went well, they wouldn't see any of their friends here ever again. She was going to miss them as much, probably, as she missed Dad and their friends at Beacon.
"So!" she spoke up when Yang had finished petting the wolves. "Now, before we leave, it's time to take a few pictures to remember everyone!" She pulled out her scroll, followed by her friends. None was surprised, of course - they had already taken pictures of most of the keep and the city in the last few days as well as their friends. It had cost some of their limited lightning Dust to charge the scrolls, but it was worth it. Ruby wanted something to take home with them. Well, something in addition to all the souvenirs and gifts they were taking with them, of course.
And having everyone pose and smile, several times so every team member got a few pictures, then showing them to their friends, cheered everyone up, even Jon wasn't as sad any more. Or so it looked to Ruby, at least.
But the sadness returned once the time to really leave had come. She glanced at the other members of her team as they stepped on the plank leading to the ship Oberyn had chartered - or ordered; it was from Dorne, so as a prince, he could probably just tell the crew to take them there. Yang was hiding it, but she was sad as well. Blake… well, she was good at hiding sadness. And Weiss was too proper and prim not to be sad; Ruby knew her partner.
So she sighed as the ship cast off, as the sailors called it, and slowly started to sail out of the harbour.
"I'm going to miss them," she said as she watched the distance to the waterfront grow.
"We all will," Weiss replied. "Although…" She raised Myrtenaster, and the biggest glyph Ruby had ever seen her create appeared above the ship, high above the masttop.
And even quite a bit away from the waterfront, Ruby heard the crowd yell and cheer in response. She had to smile at that. With no small amount of relief, of course.
*****
Sunspear, Dorne, Westeros, 299 AC
"Behold Sunspear!" Prince Oberyn made a sweeping gesture towards the bow of their ship, and Weiss Schnee squinted slightly to look at the harbour that was slowly coming into view.
Compared to King's Landing, the first thing she noticed was the size. Sunspear was definitely smaller than the capital. It was bigger than Winterfell, according to what she had read - at least outside winter - but like its northern counterpart, it was dominated by a huge castle on a tall hill next to which the city - or town - felt like an afterthought.
"What do you say?" The Prince was beaming at them.
"It reminds me of Vacuo, one of the four kingdoms in our world," Weiss told him. "It's a desert kingdom, and the architecture, as far as I can tell from this distance, seems similar." Well, both Vacuo and Dorne seemed to have a preference for domed or flat-roofed houses. "I've never been to Vacuo, though. This is based on the pictures I've seen."
And the movies, of course, but if they mentioned those, then Oberyn would probably ask to see one, and Marwyn would want to watch as well, and they already had spent too much of their scrolls' latest charges - from their dwindling supply of Lightning Dust - on entertainment during the trip here, even with the stop on Tarth to pass on Brienne's letter to her father, and the visit to Storm's End that had been pretty forgettable as well, except for the tour of the admittedly impressive castle.
"Ah, you've mentioned that before, I believe."
Yes, she had, and she didn't think Oberyn had forgotten; the man was far too smart for that.
"It looks nice!" Ruby added, nodding in her earnest manner.
"Yeah. And it's warm." Yang nodded.
"Not as warm as Menagerie." Blake shrugged.
Prince Oberyn laughed. "You'll love it, then. The heat is usually the only thing visitors complain about!"
Weiss doubted that as well, of course - but as guests of honour, and able to pretty much take over the entire castle, should they be forced to, Team RWBY was assured to receive the royal treatment, so to speak.
She glanced at the others standing near the bow of the ship. Marwyn didn't seem bothered by the heat, but the Archmaester had travelled extensively in Essos, with a similar climate, and Leaf and her friends seemed perfectly at ease, as far as Weiss could tell. Which wasn't very far; the Children of the Forest had spent the voyage somewhat reclusive. The language barrier with Seeker and Dew didn't help. Of course, given the reaction their presence in Tarth and Storm's End had caused, Weiss couldn't really fault them for staying out of sight; the ship's crew had taken some time to grow used to them as well.
She was a bit too snappish, Weiss realised, and letting it influence her judgment. She blamed the heat for it; as a native of Atlas, she wasn't used to this climate, much less without air conditioning. Aura would shelter her from the worst effects, of course, and prevent a sunburn, but the heat was still annoying, a sort of clingy presence that permeated everything. The only way this could be worse would be if it were humid as well.
Although, if she was honest with herself - and she tried to be; lying to yourself was a recipe for disaster - then part of the reason for her annoyance was also the fact that she felt increasingly impatient the closer they came to their destination. The prospect of spending a few weeks in Sunspear to pay their respects to the ruler of Dorne didn't appeal to her at all - but she knew better than to insult Prince Doran by refusing his hospitality, of course. Even if guest right were not such an essential part of the Westerosi customs, that would have been incredibly stupid. Any noble would have felt obliged to repay the slight somehow, even if it meant doing so indirectly, and the Dornish had a reputation - whether correctly or not she couldn't tell - for being a bit pricklier about such things than the rest of the realm.
She tried to console herself with the fact that people who lived in such a climate generally knew how to mitigate the effects of the heat, even without access to Dust. So the actual castle should be tolerable. And she was actually looking forward to visiting the Water Gardens Prince Oberyn had mentioned.
"That's the pier reserved for my family!" Prince Oberyn announced, pointing at one of the piers protected by the large mole they were passing.
They had sailed close enough so Weiss could make out the people on the piers now. "That's the banner of your brother, right?" she said.
He squinted, then nodded. "Yes. And that's his palanquin. He must have come personally to welcome you."
Which was a great honour bestowed on her team, Weiss knew. Prince Doran rarely appeared in public, as she had been told - and Blake had confirmed by listening to Dornish sailors talking in a harbour tavern.
"Palanquin? Ah, the litter!" Ruby nodded.
"Palanquin," Weiss corrected her; Prince Oberyn had told them about his brother's illness that had robbed him of the use of his legs. Certainly a delicate topic best avoided.
"Right!" Ruby nodded. "There's an honour guard as well."
Of course there would be. Although most of the crowd didn't look like guards.
"It seems most of the court has followed your brother to the harbour, my love," Ellaria said, shading her eyes with one hand as she watched the pier.
Prince Oberyn laughed. "If he graces us with his presence, how could anyone else do any less?" He cocked his head towards Ruby. "And with 'us' I mean 'you', my ladies. He certainly wouldn't go to such great lengths to welcome me." He laughed again.
He was awfully hard to read; Weiss still couldn't tell most of the time if he was telling the truth, hiding something, or deliberately trying to misdirect them. His brother, being older and more experienced, would probably be even better at hiding his thoughts.
Well… She straightened a bit. She was Weiss Schnee; she had been raised as the heiress of the largest and most powerful corporation of Atlas and the world. She would meet this challenge.
As they sailed even closer, the ship slowing down as its crew reefed the sails and the captain manoeuvred the ship towards the pier, they could make out more details.
"Yes, that's my dear niece Arianne there, next to my brother," Prince Oberyn called out. Weiss quickly looked over to the woman. "Oh, and my daughters as well!" He turned to grin at them. "The Sand Snakes!"
Right. Oberyn had boasted about them repeatedly, both in King's Landing and during the trip. Eight daughters, from five different mothers, four of them - the youngest - were Ellaria's, Weiss recalled. The Prince's paramour had spotted them as well; her smile had changed, Weiss found, having grown softer, and, for a moment, Weiss felt envious - she couldn't imagine her own mother showing such a reaction to her arrival.
She pushed the unflattering and, frankly, unfair sentiment away. She was better than that; she would not let someone else's good relations with their family make her bitter.
She studied the assembled people as the ship slowly drew up to the pier - the captain taking care, as he had before at each stop, to guide the ship so it would come to a rest just at the pier, but without touching it. She could see Oberyn's daughters, all eight of them, the princess of Dorne as well as a boy who, according to his age and position next to the princess, would be her youngest brother, Prince Trystane. But she couldn't spot the second brother.
"Is Prince Quentin here as well?" she asked.
"I don't see him, so he is likely still in Essos somewhere," Prince Oberyn replied. "He's probably getting distracted by all the exotic delights you can find there; I know I was, at his age," he added with a laugh.
"You haven't changed that much, my love," Ellaria said, smiling at him.
"I guess I haven't," he said.
Then the ship came to a stop, and the gangway was laid out. Weiss checked her outfit, then her team members'; it was time to meet Prince Doran.
He was sitting in his palanquin, legs hidden under a blanket, and at first glance, he didn't strike an impressive figure. Weiss wouldn't call him bloated, but he was far from fit, to say it diplomatically, and he looked even older than his fifty-odd years would indicate. But his face… He looked far sharper than most people she had met in this world.
They lined up in front of the palanquin, and Ruby led them in a deep bow when Prince Oberyn introduced them with the flair Weiss and her friends had grown used to. As expected, it wasn't Team RWBY that drew most of the attention from the assembled nobles and smallfolk, but Leaf, Dew and Seeker; the people were gaping and staring at them while whispering - or even speaking out loud. The Children weathered the attention almost stoically, or so Weiss hoped. It would be bad if they started their visit with a faux pas.
"I welcome you to Sunspear and Dorne, my ladies, Children of the Forest, Archmaester," Prince Doran said; his voice, at least, betrayed none of his obvious physical weakness, "and I offer you guest right."
At his prompt, servants carrying plates with bread and salt stepped forward, and Weiss felt some relief when she bit into the - fresh, still warm - bread after sprinkling it with salt. She didn't really fear a trap or betrayal, but with guest right granted, the odds of encountering any trouble - especially for the Children and Marwyn, who had no Aura to protect them - were significantly reduced.
"Thank you, my prince," Ruby replied with another bow. "We're honoured by your hospitality."
Weiss smiled; her friend and partner had grown much more at ease with such functions; a year ago, she would likely have stumbled.
Leaf nodded. "We thank you, Prince Doran. It is good to be back in our old home."
That comment set up another round of whispers - mixed reactions, in Weiss's impression; probably because such a comment could be seen as an accusation or even a threat, especially in a world where grudges turned into generational feuds.
"I was informed about the purpose of your visit," Prince Doran said. "Although we'd best discuss things in the palace before the sun rises too high to travel easily."
Everyone agreed, of course - none would disagree with the ruler of the land, even though custom would have seen more introductions first.
Weiss took that to mean that the Prince of Dorne had mixed reactions to Leaf's comment as well and wanted some privacy to discuss it.
She glanced at Leaf as they started towards the castle ahead of them; Leaf didn't look worried or confused, but merely curious as she looked around. Of course, since her size and appearance belied her age, Weiss wouldn't exclude the possibility that she knew exactly what she had done. On the other hand, Weiss was also well aware that Leaf had almost no experience with human society; only what the Three-Eyed-Crow had taught her and what she had observed. Or so she claimed, at least.
In any case, Weiss prepared herself to tackle whatever problems this had caused.
*****
Sunspear, Dorne, Westeros, 299 AC
The castle was impressive, as Blake Belladonna had expected - she had seen Winterfell and Storm's End, after all. For a world without modern technology or Dust, Westeros had very impressive constructions. No, she amended her thoughts as she followed the Prince's palanquin into the castle proper, walking next to Yang, behind Weiss and Ruby, those huge buildings, and especially the Wall, would be impressive in Remnant as well.
Though it was also clear that the castle, like Winterfell, had been built over time, with older parts being incorporated into the expanding design. That tall, slender "Spear Tower" looked different compared to the 'Sandship', as Oberyn had called the presumably oldest part of the Castle.
They didn't enter either, though, but went to the large, wide Tower of the Sun, where the Prince held court and lived - when he was in Sunspear. The throne room they entered was smaller than the one in King's Landing, though still impressive, and sported two seats. Related to the family's origin, according to what Blake had heard, formed from a union of refugees fleeing the Valyrians and locals, which then conquered the rest of the region.
Of course, the locals had invaded the land before that, and driven out the humans who had invaded the Children of the Forest…. She had to focus on the here and now, Blake reminded herself.
The Prince was lowered down next to the seat and then, shielded mostly but not completely from view by several burly guards and his close family, carried into his seat by two servants. Blake heard him groan during the transfer; he must be in pain.
She pressed her lips together. In Remnant, even without Aura, such an illness could - probably, Blake knew it might be an exotic illness unknown on Remnant - be treated easily, and Aura would likely prevent it altogether.
Then followed more introductions. Blake took note of the steward and other important members of the court, and, of course, of the ruling family, which she took care to study more closely, now that she had the opportunity. The Prince of Dorne she had already studied at the reception at the pier. His body was ravaged by his illness, but his mind seemed unaffected. His wife was, according to Oberyn, from Essos and estranged, but had been in love once. Blake didn't know if that was true. It explained why she wasn't here, though. Unlike the princess and heir to the throne - Dorne, unlike every other part of Westeros, followed strict primogeniture. The oldest child, regardless of gender, inherited the title. Princess Arianne was in her early twenties and very attractive. Not as attractive as Yang, though, in Blake's perfectly objective opinion, which a brief glance at her confirmed.
The princess, like her brother and her cousins, was staring at Leaf, Dew and Seeker. It felt odd but welcome not to be the centre of attention for once, but Blake had a feeling that wouldn't last. The Children would probably withdraw to their guest rooms after this, and barely venture forth until they were ready to leave for the ruins - if they stayed in the castle in the first place, of course; Blake had a feeling that they might just seek out some hidden spot and camp.
"You're here to visit the ruins of your old capital," Prince Doran spoke up, staring at Leaf. "A place magically hidden from everyone but your own people." He sounded a bit suspicious, in Blake's opinion.
"Yes." Leaf nodded. "We believe Team Ruby will be able to return to their world from there. The visions are clear."
That was embellishing things a bit - the visions were not that clear. Blake hoped Leaf was right, and the evidence and arguments supporting her were quite convincing, but a part of Blake couldn't help fearing that, like many other things, her hopes would end up being dashed.
"And afterwards?" the Prince asked.
"We'll return to our lands in the North."
"And I will return to the Citadel to write down my findings," Marwyn added.
Doran nodded at him, but it was clear that his attention was focused on Leaf. Did he seriously think the Children were a danger to him or his people? If the Children of the Forest could have taken back their original home, wouldn't they have done so long ago?
Or was he feeling guilty for his ancestor's deeds? Blake doubted that. It might be cynical of her, but in her experience, the noble houses tended to hold onto claims and grudges from their ancestors but ignored whatever obligation they might have inherited from their deeds.
"This is the first time we've heard about those ruins. Magical ruins, hidden in the heart of our home."
Leaf tilted her head at his words. "Yes."
The prince held her gaze for a few seconds. "Are those dangerous for my people?"
"Only for those who attempt to enter the ruins," Leaf replied. "But they are in a remote place, where few would wander."
Few, not none. Blake was sure that over thousands of years, some people had stumbled upon the ruins. And had suffered whatever magic protected it. And the Prince would be aware of that as well.
"I want to know where those ruins are, so I can warn my people not to approach them."
"Many will do so, out of greed and ignorance," Leaf replied.
"Then their fates will be on them. But I do not want them to suffer out of ignorance," Prince Doran said.
A reasonable stance - but Blake didn't think it was just that. She'd expect that he would be keeping a close eye on such attempts, perhaps even sponsor some, in case they succeeded, so he could take his cut - or everything valuable. Not that any other head of a Great House in Westeros, with the possible exception of Lord Eddard, would act any differently, not when they heard about a literally magical place in their domain.
Leaf slowly nodded, seemingly agreeing with him. Was she not concerned because she trusted their protections - or was she naive and missed the implications? Blake wasn't sure. "Marwyn can inform you of the location once he returns, then. It is difficult to describe in your language."
For a moment, Prince Doran looked as if he'd press her further, but after a glance at Team RWBY, he nodded, and a gentle smile that Blake didn't really think was honest appeared on his face. "Very well. With that settled, let us properly welcome you to Dorne, my ladies. There will be a feast tonight."
"Thank you!" Ruby beamed at the man as if there had been any doubt that Prince Doran wouldn't let his fellow nobles outdo him. "We've heard great things about Dornish sweets!"
Prince Doran looked at his brother, raising his eyebrows, and Prince Oberyn smirked. "I merely told her the truth about our meals, brother!"
Most of the Court members laughed, as the two must have intended - Prince Oberyn knew Ruby quite well, so he would know too much formality made her uncomfortable. Blake glanced at Weiss on her right and noted that her friend had come to the same conclusion; she was smiling politely but not as honestly as Ruby and Yang.
"Please let me show you to the guest quarters!" Princess Arianne said as she rose from her chair. "You've just arrived and haven't had a chance to rest yet."
The Princess herself, offering to serve as a guide? They couldn't refuse that without insulting her and her family. Not that Ruby would have thought of refusing; she smiled at the woman and nodded. "Thank you! We do need to, ah, freshen up a bit and stash our baggage. And do daily maintenance, of course. And check out the area."
Blake kept her expression blandly polite when she saw the slight confusion Ruby's rapid-fire sentences had caused. Prince Oberyn certainly had instructed his family for this meeting, but there was only so much you could do to prepare for meeting a girl like Ruby. Or Yang, of course, Blake amended her thoughts as everyone got up and she fell in next to her girlfriend.
*****
Yang Xiao Long smiled as she followed her friends and the Princess through the hallway and up the stairs to the guest quarters. Things had gone as expected so far. Sure, Weiss was in full politician or negotiator mode, and Ruby was talking the Princess's ear off, and Blake was probably already casing the area for tonight's patrol, but the locals here seemed friendly so far, and the Prince had accepted Leaf's presence and limits pretty decently.
"Could have been worse," she whispered under her breath.
Blake turned her head towards her and raised her eyebrows. She could have heard Yang, of course.
"Nice digs," Yang said a bit more loudly.
"'Digs', my lady?" one of Prince Oberyn's daughters, not the oldest but one of the middle ones, about twenty to twenty-five, Yang would guess, asked.
"It's a word for 'home' or 'house'," Yang explained.
"Ah." The girl nodded. "It should be - it's been the home of the Martells ever since it was built."
"Your father told us so," Blake said. "Mistress Tyene."
Tyene Sand, that was her name. Yang nodded. "Better than King's Landing, I'd say." It certainly didn't smell as much.
"And how does it compare to your home?" Tyene asked with a smile.
Already fishing for information? Well, the Princess had been trying to make sense of Ruby's rapid-fire word salad since they had left the throne room, and Yang hadn't missed that Weiss had not been nearly as helpful in keeping Ruby from overwhelming someone who didn't know her as she usually was.
"Well, it's bigger than our home back home," Yang said. Pretty much every building here was bigger than their home on Patch, of course. "Not as big as Beacon, our home-away-from-home, though."
"Oh?"
"That's your academy, right?" The oldest daughter cut in.
"Yes," Yang replied, nodding. They had reached the next floor now, and the Princess led them away from the stairs leading to higher floors. "It's where we study to become Huntresses."
"Father wrote to us about that," the oldest woman said.
"He did," Tyene added. "And he wrote to us about your deeds and skills. How you train daily for hours."
"Yep," Yang replied. "Gotta keep our edge, you know? Can't grow lazy just because there aren't any Grimm here to fight."
As she had hoped, the older woman took this as a challenge - her eyes narrowed, and her lips twisted into a grin. "We do train hard as well, my sisters and I. Maybe we could spar when you have time?"
"Sure!" Yang was quick to agree. The woman wasn't Ser Barristan, but she should be good for a spar if Yang handicapped herself.
"Obara!" Tyene gasped.
"What? Father told us that our guests would train here." Obara gave her sister the same look Yang gave Ruby when she called Yang out for something that was perfectly logical and obvious.
"He also told us that they can shatter stone with their bare hands," Tyene replied.
"Or our foreheads, if you're Yang," Blake commented.
Yang chuckled at that, and at the glances from the other girls listening in. "Yeah," she said, tapping her forehead. "It's a good way to show people that they can go all out against us and don't have to worry about hurting us." She grinned toothily at Obara, and the other narrowed her eyes at her. Good! She looked like a fun sparring partner. And having a fun training session every day would help the time pass faster.
"And these are your quarters, my ladies. Lady Ruby and yours to this side, Lady Leaf's across the corridor and Archmaester Marwyn's down the hall," the Princess said with a gesture towards each door - and then followed Team RWBY inside their quarters while Leaf, Dew and Seeker stepped into theirs, and the Maester followed a servant.
"So much for resting," Yang whispered under her breath with a chuckle.
Blake matched her grin but didn't comment.
They had barely arrived, and the nobles were already playing games. Although, Yang had to admit, it was mostly the younger nobles here - most of them were kids younger than her own team. Still… it wouldn't do to underestimate the bunch. Especially not any of Oberyn's kids.
Let the interrogation begin, she thought.