By the fourteenth year of Paul Atreides, the sands of Dorne had long since bent to the quiet, inexorable rule of House Atreides.
Under Leto Atreides, the deserts and passes were patrolled with vigilance, fortresses secured in shadow, and the whispers of The Voice had become the stuff of rumor and superstition among the Dornish. Yet across the Narrow Sea, in King's Landing, the Targaryens had begun to take notice.
The reign of King Viserys I Targaryen was one of peace and prosperity, yet the crown was ever mindful of lands that might either serve or threaten the Iron Throne. Rumors reached the king of a Valyrian-descended house that had conquered Dorne without dragons, whose warriors moved like shadows across the deserts, and whose heir—already fourteen—was said to wield the Voice of the Outer World, a power ancient and mysterious.
In the seventh month of Viserys' fourteenth regnal year, envoys were dispatched: a company of Maesters, diplomats, and minor knights, bearing gifts of gold, fine silks, and Targaryen jewels.
Their mission was not to challenge the Atreides but to establish ties, open trade, and secure allegiance. Dorne, though conquered in name, had never fully been folded into the Seven Kingdoms, and the king sought both commerce and stability, for a restless desert could quickly turn to rebellion if ignored.
The Atreides received the envoys with measured ceremony. Leto Atreides, ever the careful ruler, allowed the men into the central fortress of Black Dune Keep, where the walls were carved of stone and lined with tapestries woven from desert hides and Valyrian patterns. The envoys marveled at the discipline of the household, noting that even servants moved with a quiet precision born of fear and training, though none could explain why.
It was Paul Atreides, now a boy of fourteen, who most intrigued the envoys.
The Targaryens had sent no dragons with their emissaries—yet the boy's presence was as commanding as any dragon in flight. Observers later recorded that he spoke little, yet all who heard his voice, even in casual conversation, felt compelled to respond with honesty and attentiveness, a subtle demonstration of the ancient power that marked the House of Atreides. Few dared speak over him.
The envoys brought gifts: delicate silks from Lys, rare spices from Yi Ti, and small dragon-engraved charms as symbols of friendship. Leto accepted them politely, while Paul observed, testing their demeanor and noting every nuance of voice and gesture. The boy's tutelage under the elders of Sothoryos had sharpened him for such encounters: he recognized manipulation, hidden fear, and ambition with uncanny clarity.
Negotiations soon followed. The Targaryens sought to establish trade routes across Dorne, linking ports to King's Landing and beyond, while ensuring that the Atreides recognized the suzerainty of the Iron Throne. Leto agreed, though with careful conditions: the Targaryens' ships could dock and trade, but all dealings within the desert interior would remain under Atreides supervision.
Paul's presence, silent but piercing, was a subtle reminder that the House's control over Dorne was not simply by force of arms, but by discipline, intelligence, and something older and stranger than steel.
King Viserys, upon receiving reports from the envoys, was both impressed and cautious. To a Westerosi mind, a desert-born house with uncanny powers and an untested boy heir could be a boon—or a threat.
He commissioned letters of friendship, formal recognition of Atreides rule in Dorne, and careful oversight of trade routes to ensure loyalty. At court, the story of the boy Paul Atreides—intelligent, silent, and commanding respect far beyond his years—spread quickly, earning both admiration and unease.
Thus began the first contact between House Atreides of Sothoryos and the Targaryen crown. The sands of Dorne, once silent save for wind and hawks, now carried the whispers of dragons across the Narrow Sea. And though Paul was yet a boy, fourteen winters old, the lessons of shadow, discipline, and the Voice had prepared him for the day when he would inherit not only the deserts of Dorne, but the delicate balance of Westerosi politics itself.
The Targaryens had learned that power could take many forms. Dragons were fearsome, but some powers, older and quieter, commanded obedience without fire. And in Dorne, the hawks of House Atreides had made themselves felt.