Bab 311: Chapter 312: The Prince's Son
Across the Narrow Sea, in Essos, at the port of Volantis, Quentyn Martell stood on the dock, gazing blankly at the blue expanse of the sea.
Quentyn was not particularly tall but was stocky and strong. While not handsome, he had an earnest and upright appearance, with black eyes that mirrored the same seriousness and rationality as his father, Prince Doran Martell.
Because his uncle, "The Red Viper" Oberyn Martell, had killed Lord Yronwood in a duel, Quentyn was sent to the Yronwood family as a ward as compensation when he was still very young.
A month ago, news reached Quentyn that Prince Doran and several Dornish lords had been captured by Caesar. Quentyn was filled with anxiety and even considered traveling to Storm's End himself to negotiate their release.
But a messenger from Sunspear, stopped him.
"Before traveling to Bloodstone Island, Prince Doran instructed me to find you immediately if he didn't return," the messenger said as he handed Quentyn a letter.
It was a handwritten letter from Prince Doran.
Quentyn thought his father had prepared instructions to rescue the prisoners. But to his surprise, the letter made no mention of freeing them. Instead, it assigned him an unusual mission:
To find the most beautiful woman in the world on the other side of the Narrow Sea.
At first, Quentyn thought it was a joke—until the messenger also produced a secret marriage contract.
Only then did Quentyn learn that his sister, Princess Arianne, had long been betrothed—to Viserys Targaryen, the last prince of House Targaryen.
Unfortunately, Viserys had already died across the Narrow Sea.
Prince Doran now intended for his son Quentyn to marry Viserys's sister, Daenerys Targaryen, to honor the original agreement.
Now, Quentyn was tasked with finding the Targaryen princess, marrying her, and returning to Dorne with her and her three dragons.
Only then could Dorne be saved.
At least, that was what Prince Doran had written in the letter.
Quentyn couldn't understand why his father was so pessimistic about Dorne's future. Did they really need saving?
While Storm's End had detained the Dornish lords, surely Caesar, as a rational ruler, wouldn't execute them.
If Caesar enraged Dorne, he'd face a tidal wave of retaliation.
As Quentyn pondered this, Gerris Drinkwater returned from scouting for information.
"Quentyn, I found her," Gerris said with a wide grin. "Your dream girl is in Qarth. Sailors everywhere are talking about the silver-haired queen and her three dragons."
"Qarth…" Quentyn frowned deeply. "That's so far. Can our ship make it there?"
"My advice," Gerris replied, "is to board a large merchant ship. The route from Volantis to Qarth passes near Valyria, a dangerous area rife with pirates. We'd do better with an experienced captain and ship."
Hearing the mention of Valyria, Quentyn's frown deepened further.
In Westeros, that region was considered forbidden territory.
Even the journey from Dorne to Volantis had been grueling for Quentyn, who was unaccustomed to the sea. The damp air, salty spray, and constant swaying of the deck were a nightmare for someone raised in the arid deserts.
"Can we reach Qarth by land?" Quentyn asked.
Gerris rolled his eyes.
"Do you even know where Qarth is? Traveling there by land means taking the Demon Road and crossing the Red Waste—it'd be a hundred times harder than going by sea!"
"Fine," Quentyn relented. "Find us a ship willing to take us to Qarth."
"Will do!"
After Gerris left, Quentyn wandered aimlessly around the docks.
The river mouth of the Rhoyne curved sharply here, causing Volantis's streets to arc along its banks.
Street vendors lined the roads, selling everything from gemstones and trinkets to playful little monkeys.
Quentyn suddenly wondered if he should bring a gift for the Targaryen princess.
But he had no idea what she liked.
He had never even seen her.
Still, he didn't doubt his father's claim that she was the most beautiful woman in the world.
The members of House Targaryen were renowned for their otherworldly beauty, with their silver-gold hair and violet eyes.
Thinking of this, Quentyn felt a pang of insecurity.
Would she agree to marry me?
Of course, she would. Quentyn quickly reassured himself.
After all, she needed Dorne's support to reclaim the Iron Throne.
Not only that, but the secret marriage contract was witnessed by the Sealord of Braavos. If Daenerys wanted to maintain the Free Cities' support, she'd have to honor the agreement.
As he strolled down the street, a snippet of conversation caught Quentyn's attention.
The speakers were discussing news from Westeros—specifically, news about Dorne.
"Did you say Storm's End agreed to release the prisoners?" Quentyn interrupted.
The sailors looked warily at the unfamiliar man and fell silent, their eyes filled with suspicion.
Quentyn sighed and tossed a few coppers to one of them, repeating his question.
The sailor pocketed the coins and grinned.
"That's right, my lord. Storm's End agreed to trade the Dornish lords for Stormlander captives. I heard the exchange took place along the Boneway."
"What about Prince Doran? Was he among those exchanged?"
"Yes, I heard he's already returned to Sunspear," the sailor said.
In truth, the sailor knew nothing of the sort. But since this Dornish noble had paid him, he saw no harm in fabricating good news.
Unaware of the sailor's deceit, Quentyn breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed his sister Arianne had handled things competently after all. The crisis in Dorne was over.
But then Quentyn froze.
If the crisis was resolved, did he still need to continue his journey to Qarth to find the Targaryen princess?
After all, Dorne no longer needed saving.
"Quentyn!" Gerris's voice called from a distance. "The captain of the Lightchaser has agreed to take us aboard!"
Quentyn hesitated for a moment before striding forward.
He had decided to continue his journey.
After all, this was the most beautiful woman in the world—who wouldn't want to marry her?
Besides, she had three dragons.
Caesar had crowned himself Storm King with just one dragon.
If Quentyn could bring three dragons back to Westeros…
After all, the Conqueror, Aegon Targaryen, had subdued the Seven Kingdoms with just three dragons.
If House Martell had three dragons too…
Quentyn's mind raced with ambition, his steps growing lighter.
Daenerys Targaryen, I'm coming!
(End of Chapter)
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