Arianne Martell POV
She stood at the head of the welcoming party that waited in the port of Planky Town as the Flotilla of Prince Stephen Baratheon finally arrived at Dorne.
"Am I looking good enough?" She inquired of Nymeria, who stood beside her. After giving her a once-over, Nymeria tucked a few stray locks of hair behind her ears and smoothed out some creases on her dress before giving her a nod in approval.
"You're looking better than good enough." Nymeria told her as the gang plank of the ship was lowered. "You'll knock his socks off, trust me. He do nothing be stare at you once he sees you."
"And he does have quite a lot to see~" Tyene whispered from behind, her fingers briefly touching her bare back before she swatted the mischievous girl's arm away.
Tyene wasn't wrong though. The dress she had donned to welcome Stephen Baratheon was scandalously short, even by Dornish standards. She knew that some people would criticize the Princess of Dorne for going to such lengths to impress a Prince of their enemy house, but she refused to let a few dissenting voices deter her from doing what she believed was in the best interests of Dorne, and herself.
It had been more than a month since she first heard of Prince Stephen and his journey. Over that time, he had made stops at both major and minor ports along the eastern coast of the Stormlands as he traveled south.
Evenfall Hall, Storms End, Griffin's Roost, Rain House, Greenstone, Weeping tower, and many smaller ports.
Eventually, he had entered the Sea of Dorne, and rather than stopping at the other major ports along the coastline, he sailed directly toward Sunspear. Toward her.
She would admit that when her father initially instructed her to seduce Stephen, she had reservations. Partly because she suspected that it was all just a ploy to remove her from Dorne and install her brother, Quentyn Martel, as the Prince of Dorne, as stated in that letter. It felt like an attempt to steal her rightful place.
But as days passed and her temper cooled, she started to look past her anger at her father, and see this situation for the opportunity it truly was.
If Stephen was even half of what people claimed him to be, then she had no doubt in her mind that he'll be the best partner that she'll ever get.
If she could successfully seduce him and make him fall in love with her, she would gain significant influence over him. She could then use that influence to steer him toward the Iron Throne. King Robert would not live forever, and she was sure that she could persuade Stephen that he would make a better king than Prince Joffrey.
She could picture it all in her mind - Baratheons fighting against Baratheons, Baratheons fighting against Lannisters. A war that would stretch across the continent, ripping apart the entirety of the Seven Kingdoms. Armies would fall to Stephen's gleaming sword, one after the other, until he eradicated House Lannister from the pages of history and compelled everyone else to submit to his rule.
The mere idea stirred her core with desire. She imagined how Stephen would return from the war, drenched in the blood of their enemies, and then she would bring him to their chamber, where she would cleanse him, remove his armour, and make passionate love to him.
In the end, she had two choices in front of her.
Stay here, and try her best to claim her birthright, while her own father and brother planned to keep her away from it. Or… join Stephen and take a chance at becoming the Queen of Westeros.
A choice between becoming the Princess of Dorne, or the Queen of the entirety of the Seven (read Nine) Kingdoms.
The choice was a simple one for her to make.
That was precisely why she stood there, waiting for Prince Stephen under the scorching sun instead of staying in Sunspear to welcome him there as protocol mandated.
Not everyone was happy with her decision to come here to Planky Town in order welcome the Prince herself. After all, she was also the Princess of Dorne. By coming all the way here, she was showing that House Martell was subservient to a branch of House Baratheon.
Even her beloved cousins, the Sand Snakes, had urged her to stay in Sunspear and wait for Prince Stephen there. But she was unwilling to take that risk - the chance that Prince Stephen might become infatuated with one of her cousins instead of her.
So what if her actions made Dorne seem subservient. Men liked subservient women, didn't they? If she could seduce Stephen, then all this will be worth it, she told herself.
Sailors descended from the grand War Galley, named God's Hammer - Prince Stephen's flagship. A magnificent warship that could accommodate over 400 men.
As beautiful as the ship was though, it wasn't what she was here for.
She watched with bated breath as the sailors set down the gangplanks into the wooden pier, and then the subject of her affection finally walked down the gangplank.
'He's handsome.' Was the first thought that entered her mind when first looked at him. An abject understatement, for Prince Stephen wasn't merely handsome.
As the Princess of Dorne, she had encountered her fair share of lords, knights, and men from all walks of life. Many had caught her eye solely for their good looks, even if they lacked other desirable traits.
Prince Stephen put all those men to shame.
His fair skin, his silky black hair, his thin lips, and his sharp blue eyes that looked at her with mild amusement.
Her second thought was… 'There's no way he is only 10 years old. He looked to be 15-16 years old at the very least.'
A pinch to her arm brought her back to the present and she heard Tyene's soft giggles behind her as she realised with some mortification that she had been staring at Prince Stephen for longer than was polite.
By this point, Prince Stephen and his retinue had climbed down the gangplank and were walking toward their group.
And she quickly realised something that she hadn't paid attention to before.
There was a girl in Prince's arm. And judging by the kraken symbol on her tunic, the girl could be none other than Asha Greyjoy.
"What's she doing with the Prince?" She asked in a whisper. Though the real question she wanted to ask was 'Why is she so close to Prince Stephen? Are they in a relationship? Is she competition?'
Her question will remain unanswered as Prince Stephen and his retinue finally reached them and there was no more time for whispered conversations.
The two group stood in silence for a moment before she cleared her throat and spoke up.
"Welcome to Dorne, Prince Stephen Baratheon. I hope your journey was safe and you'll enjoy your stay in Sunspear." She said, trying to sound as confident as she could.
For some reason, the amusement in his eyes increased manifold as he stared into space for a split-moment before his eyes were focused on her once again and he gave her a warm smile.
"Princess Arianne Martell." He said, in a silky smooth voice that she knew would the death of many girls, as he moved forward and kissed her knuckles. She could feel her core heating up at his mere touch. "I did not expect you to come here personally. But I'm grateful for this warm welcome."
Then he turned to look at her cousins. "And you must be the infamous Sand Snakes I have heard so much about." He said and then looked at all of them one by one as he spoke their names. "Obara Sand, Nymeria Sand, Sarella Sand, and the one behind your, trying to look innocent. She must be Tyene Sand. It's a pleasure to meet all of you."
She blinked in surprise at Stephen not only recognising all of her cousins correctly but also at how genuine he sounded when he said that it was a pleasure to meet them.
Did he not look down on bastards like so many other lords and Knights tend to do? Well, that attitude of his will definitely endear him to her cousins if nothing else.
Then he stepped back and gestured toward Asha Greyjoy. "Princess, ladies. Let me introduce you to my father's ward, and my dear friend, Lady Asha Greyjoy."
"It's a pleasure to meet you." She said to the Ironborn woman though try as she might, she couldn't bring herself to smile at her competition.
"Is it?" Asha Greyjoy asked, a wicked smile on her lips and a confident sway to her hips as she boldly moved forward until she was face to face with her, sizing her up and down before she dismissed her with a scoff and turned to look at her cousins instead.
Asha stared at each of her cousins before her eyes settled on Obara and the spear she was holding.
"Do you actually know how to use that. Or are you merely playing at being a guard?" Asha asked, as she palmed the hilt of the axe that hung onto her belt.
She could see her guards tense slightly at that while Obara narrowed her eyes and let out a growl.
"Ask me the same question in a sparring yard, and I'll be glad to show you."
Asha's smile turned into a full-on grin at that as she took a step back and turned to look at Stephen. "I like her."
Stephen merely rolled his eyes at her words before he looked at her with a mischievous grin. "Don't mind Asha's words. She likes to play the bad bitch but she's actually pretty sweet once you get past her tough exterior."
Tyene giggled sweetly at those words while Asha narrowed her eyes and glared at him.
'What is their relationship?' She wondered. 'Are they lovers or merely friends.'
She hoped that they weren't lovers, as that would make it harder for her to reach his heart.
"Don't fall for his pretty words." Asha said with a growl. "He's actually an asshole once you get to know him."
Stephen's grin became even wider at those words. "Alas. My secret has been revealed. Whatever shall I do now?"
"Don't worry your grace. Your secret is safe with us." She said, a bit off guard by their blatant banter. Or were they flirting? She wasn't sure. "Now, would you like me to show you around Planky Town. Or should we go to Sunspear directly?"
Stephen shrugged. "The captains and merchants under my command would see to the trade at your port town. Please, lead the way to Sunspear. I would like to see the capital of Dorne with my own eyes."
She nodded at her guards and they brought the extra horses forward for Stephen and his party. And soon enough, they were riding toward Sunspear.
On the way to Sunspear, she tried to engage him into a conversation, trying to get to learn more about him so that she could later use that information to her own advantage.
But despite her best efforts, Stephen seemed more interested in discussing the economy and local geography of Dorne than bragging about his recent exploits, as most boys his age tend to do.
"I always look a place and try to see all the ways I can improve it." He said conversationally as they rode at a slow pace toward Sunspear. Stephen wasn't even holding the reins of the horse, yet was able to guide it with perfect accuracy, showing his frighting horse riding skill. It was rather impressive to watch. "Planky town for example, could do with some proper defences."
"We have a Citadel (a fortress in high ground) in place for its protection." Obara spoke up, not happy with the insinuation that the main and largest trade centre of Dorne couldn't protect itself.
"That's true, but the guards stationed there are primarily for policing the town and warding off minor pirate incursions. They would be woefully insufficient against a proper fleet, as history has shown us when Alyn Velaryon's successful breaches of those defenses not once, but twice." He said and Arianne's expression soured at the memory of Dornish defeat at the hands of the Young Dragon, Daeron Targaryen.
Although they eventually assassinated the Young Dragon and defeated the army he left behind to hold Dorne, the defeat at his hands was still a significant blemish on their history, a source of great shame.
"Why do you even care about Dornish settlements?" Obara asked testily, the martial woman getting annoyed at being reminded of one of their greatest historical defeats. "Didn't you say that you were more interested in the town's economy."
"Aye, that I am. But you can only worry about the economy of a town after it is sufficiently protected." Stephen pointed out. "I mean, look at Spice town for example. Before the Dance of Dragons, it was the richest and most prosperous town in all of Westeros. But due to Corlys Velaryon's failure in protecting it, that town was burnt to the ground by the Triarchy. To this day, House Velaryon still hasn't recovered from that loss."
"So what are you saying, that we should build a wall around Planky Town?" Sarella asked curisouly. Her bookish cousin seemed more interested in the conversation than anyone else in their group.
"Yeah. Though you would also need a fortification that can stop any ships from entering the Greenblood river."
"Kings Landing had both tall walls and protection against ships, and it still fell to the Ironborn." Nymeria pointed out and Stephen chuckled.
"Aye. That was a close fight. But that also teaches us another precious lesson."
"And what lesson is that?" She asked, glancing at Asha Greyjoy who was riding to his side and seemed more interested in staring at the sand dunes in the distance.
"That even the greatest fortifications can fall to a stronger army." Stephen said "No fortification is absolute. It can give you a great advantage over your enemies, yes. But a fortification is only as good as the army guarding it."
"Casterly Rock has never fallen." Sarella pointed out and she found herself nodding at that, despite her immense hatred for the Lannisters.
"Is that so? Then how come it is in the hands of House Lannister and not the Casterlys who built it?" Stephen asked with some amusement. "Plus, just because it hasn't fallen to this day doesn't mean that it won't fall in the future."
There was something in the way that Stephen said those words that made her feel that he has put a lot of thought into this.
Did… did he have plans to fight against the Lannisters? Did he already have ambitions for the Iron Throne? If yes, then she could definitely see why he would befriend Asha Greyjoy to such an extent.
The Iron Islands were decimated, yes. But they can still regain a lot of their strength in the next 2 decades, if they're given proper support. Was that what this voyage was all about?
"You seem to have some knowledge in this subject, Prince Stephen." Sarella spoke up. "What kind of defences would you suggest for Planky Town?"
"Having studied over 47 books on the subject and drawn up designs for the defenses of Dragonstone Port, I would certainly say I have 'some' knowledge on the matter." Stephen said with an amused smile. "That being said, if I were the Governor of Planky Town, here is what I would do."
So for the rest of their journey, she and the rest of her cousins listened intently to Stephen speak on various subjects regarding Planky Town.
He started with the Fortification, then moved on to topics on how to maintain a larger garrison of guards for the town at a cheaper price, how to put them to the best use so that there'll be less corruption and so on and so forth.
From there, he talked about ways to improve the town's infrastructure. Create communal baths and parks to increase the unity and general happiness among the town's populace. Create better roads for faster Goods transport. And the various ways they can produce more of their own goods in order to strengthen their economy.
From there, he went on to talk about projects on how bring more greenery in the desert through the creation of a series of artificial ponds. An expensive project at the beginning but one that'll bring them immense benefits for generations to come.
It didn't take her long to realise that despite his young age and pretty face, Stephen Baratheon was extremely intelligent.
Talking with him also made her realise just how much potential Dorne had. And how they could use the resources available at hand to turn their barren land into a thriving economy.
And if Sarella hadn't already taken out a notebook and started noting down his words, then she would have.
She also realised just how he managed to turn Dragonstone Port into one of the fastest growing trade port in the entirety of Westeros.
Hell, even this voyage he was taking was one that he was taking in order to build trade connections and buy raw resources from other places that he can then import into Dragonstone. These raw materials would be processed in his factories, turned into finished products, and sold for much greater profits.
She had no doubt that the plans he told them about were not even the tip of the iceberg. That beneath that, he had an infrastructure of plans made in order to turn Dragonstone into a giant industrial machine and an export hub.
Never in her entire life had she thought that she would ever be attracted to the trait of intelligence. But here she was, feeling more and more drawn to him the more he spoke .
And then, just as he was explaining how they can take hire Glass merchants and set up a basic Glass Factory outside Planky town, he stopped speaking.
And she understood why as she look up ahead and realised they'd already reached Sunspear.