The Water Gardens were the private residence of the Dornish rulers. It is a palace composed of fountains and gardens. It is located on the beach three leagues (a unit of length) west of Sunspear, the capital of Dorne, separated by a coastal road.
Prince Malon Martell built the garden as a gift to his Targaryen bride to mark the union of Dorne with the Iron Throne. Balconies here overlook numerous pools and fountains, shadowed by blood orange trees, and pale pink marble floors line the gardens and courtyards, past a row of carved beams and through elegant arches.
Autumn here is very refreshing. It's hot during the day, cool at night, with salty winds blowing from the sea, and there are fountains and pools. There are also many children here, boys and girls of noble birth. Noble families and families from all over Dorne and from all walks of life will send their children to Fallingwater Gardens to be raised. Here, children can play together on the beach, pools, and fountains.
But now, the atmosphere in this garden is not very pleasant.
A quarrel is about to arise here.
One of the two parties in the quarrel is the ruler of Dorne, Doran Martell. This is a cautious and quiet man who never shows his emotions. He had severe gout and had difficulty walking. He is nearly fifty years old, but just looking at his white hair and the wrinkles on his forehead and at the corners of his eyes, it is not surprising that he is thought to be an old man in his sixties or seventies. Years of illness and the pain and hatred of his sister's tragic death at the hands of his enemies have made him old to this day.
The other party she was quarreling with was his eldest daughter, Arianne Martell.
Arianne is plump and beautiful, with olive skin, big black eyes, and glossy black curly hair. Like her mother, she was short, standing only five feet two inches tall. Arianne is 23 years old. Although she is noble and beautiful, she is still unmarried.
She is the eldest daughter of Prince Doran and his wife Melario. According to Dornish tradition, she is the heir to Sunspear and the Land of Dorne.
Due to her father's reasons, she is still unmarried.
Arianne also once hoped to take the initiative to find a more suitable partner. She also had many suitors, and she herself believed that handsome men were her weakness, especially when they had an adventurous and taboo temperament. She did.
However, her father rejected all such candidates and did not even allow her to have contact with these people. She always thought that this was his father's way of depriving her of her inheritance rights, which caused her to be very resentful towards her father.
Now, after the sword-drawing ceremony in Pentos, a letter from Prince Oberon left her in utter despair. In the letter, she discovered that she was actually assigned to a saint who went to the Dragon God Church. This was a naked attempt to deprive her of her inheritance rights.
Arianne is determined to resist. As the first heir of Dorne, although she has no real power, she still has some influence. Her childhood playmates in Fallingwater Gardens, as well as several illegitimate daughters of her uncle Oberon, are all with her. They have a good relationship and are now her confidants.
Arianne herself is a calculating, adventurous, and hot-tempered person. She will do whatever it takes to get what she thinks she deserves. Now she has contacted these confidants, as well as some of the guard commanders in Sunspear who have surrendered to her, waiting for an opportunity to rebel against her father and force him to pass the throne directly to her.
However, how can a newborn fox compare to an old fox?
Soon, her plot was discovered by her father.
So Prince Doran locked up his daughter in a comfortable cell high in the tower.
Cut off from communication with the outside world, and even the servants who cared for her were prohibited from talking to her, Arianne began a hunger strike.
Eventually, Prince Doran had to speak to Arianne himself.
Before being taken to her father, she had thought of being simple and humble, sincerely repentant, and begging forgiveness at his feet, otherwise she would never hear another human noise again.
But when she saw her father again, for some reason she couldn't kneel down and beg as she planned.
She just said,"Father."
He looked at her face for a long time, and then said,"Father?" Tell me, Arianne. tell me why. You are my daughter, Arianne, the one who ran to me when her knees were scraped. I find it hard to believe that you would hatch a plot against me. i must know the truth"
"Why? Arianne sneered, and it was time to settle the accounts."Haha, you always swallow your anger like a saint towards Duke Tywin and the Lannister family; but you have no tolerance at all for your own flesh and blood.""
"‘Only by enduring hardship can you become the master Arianne. Don't mistake patience for swallowing your anger. I've been working on Tywin Lannister's demise since the day they told me of Arya and the children's deaths. I hoped with all my heart that I could deprive him of everything he held dear before killing him with my own hands."My father's face twitched, as if saying these words caused him pain."Is this what you want?"
"Yeah?"The princess felt that he was avoiding important matters and taking advantage of the easy ones:"I want my rights."
"your rights?"The prince asked rhetorically
"Dorne"
"You can have Dorne after I die. Are you so eager to get rid of me?"
"I should ask you this question, father. I have nominal inherited power over Dorne. However, Uncle Oberyn is the one who is really in charge. You make him the acting lord of Sunspear. He is personally responsible for collecting taxes, the treasury is handed over to the steward, the sheriff is responsible for the order of the city, the judge presides over legal arbitration, and the maester is responsible for processing. Insignificant letters. The only thing I have to do is drink, have fun and entertain guests. You are trying to ignore me."
"that's not true"
"no? How about asking my brother?"
"Tristan?"
"Kunyan."
My father's face darkened."It's not honorable for you to be so suspicious, Arianne. Quentin should be the one plotting against me. When I gave him away as a foster son, he was just a child and didn't yet understand Dorne's needs. His adoptive father, Anders Yronwood, was more of a father to him than I was, but your brother remains loyal and filial."
"why not? You liked him, always had. Not only does he look like you, he 'thinks' like you, and you intend to pass Dorne on to him - don't bother denying it! When I was fourteen years old, I saw that letter."The words in the letter burned like fire in her memory.
"‘One day, you will sit in my place and rule Dorne. 'These are your exact words. Tell me, father, when did you decide to disinherit me? From the day Quentin was born, or from the day I was born? What did I do to make you hate me so much?"What makes her angry is that now her eyes are filled with tears. She doesn't want to appear so weak in front of her father.
"I never hate you."Prince Doran's voice was as thin as parchment, full of sadness."Arianne, you don't understand."
"Do you deny writing these words?"
"No. At that time Quentin had just gone to Yronwood, and I did intend for him to succeed me, and that was correct. As for you, I have other plans"
"Oh, yeah," she scoffed,"these plans. Gyles Rosby, Blind Ben Bisbury, Greybeard Granderson—these plans of yours."She didn't give him a chance to explain."I understand that it is my duty to provide an heir for Dorne, and I have never forgotten this. I'm happy to get married, but the marriages you set for me are all insults. They're all old men, every time. If you have any love for me, why do you want me to marry Walder Frey?"
"Because I know you will say no. When you reach a certain age, I must be seen to be looking for a mate for you, otherwise suspicion will be aroused. But I dare not propose to you any candidate who might be acceptable to you. You are engaged, Arianne."
An engagement? Arianne stared at him suspiciously."What did you say? Another lie? you never told……"
"The agreement was signed in secret. I was going to wait until you were old enough to tell you... wait until you were older, I wanted to, but……"
"I am now twenty-one years old and have been an adult for five years! Arianne said angrily.
"I know I know. I kept it secret from you for too long to protect you. Arianne, your nature... To you, a secret is nothing more than a wonderful story. I can't risk it."
She was confused. Engagement. I have an engagement."Who is it? Who have I been engaged to for all these years?"
"It doesn't matter. he died.
She was even more confused."The old guy is so fragile." Broken buttocks, typhoid fever, or gout?"
"It was Prince Viserys. He died under the dragon's fire. God's fate was worse than man's. Prince Doran made a tired gesture with his red and swollen hands."Dorne is yours,I promise you, if my promise still means something to you"
"Dorne is mine? Arianne looked at him suspiciously."You have decided to let me go to that Dragon God Church to become a saint. Tell me, you want me to be as abstinent as a nun of the Seven Gods for the rest of my life, and remain a spinster until my death." Or do you want me to be like the saint in the Temple of Grace in Meereen, either to be sacrificed or used to entertain high-profile guests? Father... how about naming Quentin as heir, then summoning Hota and his axe, and letting me die beside my cousins?"
""You don't know," his father sighed and said in a deep voice,"you don't know what my brother saw in the Dragon God Church and Pantos. Oh, those are real miracles: temples that appeared overnight, water and fire that never dries up, moving statues and images, magic that is far beyond the tricks of magic sticks, Azor Ahai's 'Lightbringer' , three dragons hatched from petrified dragon eggs, and a true divine messenger. What He sees is our desire.
Arianne's eyes narrowed."Our desire?""
"revenge."
His voice was very soft, as if he was afraid that someone would hear him.
"justice."
Prince Doran pressed a Dragon God emblem into her palm with his swollen and inflamed fingers and whispered,"Blood and fire."_
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