The Tower of the Sun is the core building of House Martell.
Past Princes of House Martell would receive oaths of fealty from their vassals here, host distinguished visitors, and discuss matters of the realm.
The pure golden dome of the Tower of the Sun was shining brilliantly under the sunlight at this moment, and beneath the dome lay the core grand hall—the Throne Room.
When Talway stepped onto the pale marble floor of the Throne Room, the stained glass windows surrounding the hall were the first to catch his eye.
The circular walls all around were inlaid with huge, heavy windows composed of countless pieces of stained glass pieced together and fixed with lead strips, making the entire hall look dreamlike.
Two tall thrones were placed on the raised platform directly ahead; Prince Qoren sat on the throne bearing the golden spear emblem, while the other seat bearing the sun emblem was currently empty.
Qoren was neither tall nor strong, and his skin was lighter than the rhoynar, which likely stemmed from his Andal ancestry.
A head of black curly hair draped over his shoulders, and he wore ochre-colored clothing matching the background color of his family heraldry, currently looking at Talway and his party with a serious expression.
“Good day, Prince Qoren!”
After slightly bowing to show respect, Talway looked calmly at this Prince of Dorne.
Qoren rose from the throne to return the gesture to Talway, then said with the long, soft accent unique to Dorne: “Welcome to Sunspear as a guest, Lord Talway, please take a seat.”
“Haha, Lord Talway’s appearance is truly enviable; no wonder the noble maidens of the Six Kingdoms were all fascinated by you at the tournament.”
Just as Talway sat down firmly, Qoren’s slightly teasing words reached his ears.
Talway picked up the goblet handed over by the attendant, took a light sip, and said: “Heh, I didn’t expect Prince Qoren, far away in Sunspear, to be aware of my deeds in King’s Landing. The Prince is quite well-informed.”
Prince Qoren also smiled, his face losing its previous serious expression, and said with a smile: “I still have some friends in the Seven Kingdoms, and I am also very interested in some gossip about King’s Landing. After all, it is the capital of the ‘Seven Kingdoms’.”
Qoren intentionally emphasized the words Seven Kingdoms, mocking House Targaryen for styling themselves as kings of the Seven Kingdoms, while the Kingdom of Dorne had never acknowledged being ruled by the Targaryens.
This also showed that House Martell had numerous eyes and ears on the continent of Westeros and in King’s Landing.
“Prince Qoren, House Valthorn has no intention of interfering in the feud between you and House Targaryen. I have come this time for the matter of The Stepstones, I…”
Before Talway could finish speaking, Prince Qoren raised a hand to interrupt him, clapped his hands, and said: “Lord Talway, let’s not rush to discuss the matter of The Stepstones. Another guest has also come to the Tower of the Sun today; let me introduce him to you.”
His beard was dyed purple, his attire was bright and ornate, and he wore an exaggeratedly styled purple tall, wide-brimmed silk hat on his head.
Without Prince Qoren saying anything, through his attire and dress, Talway knew this was a noble from Tyrosh.
Looking at Talway with a playful expression, Qoren introduced: “This is the Harbor Governor of Tyrosh, Governor Corio, who is also the brother of the Archon of Tyrosh. Governor Corio arrived yesterday, and since Lord Talway has arrived today as well, it just so happens that I can introduce you two!”
“Good day, Lord Talway.”
Governor Corio took off his hat and bowed, revealing hair of the same purple color, and his Common Tongue sounded like it carried Tyrosh’s unique delicate and exaggerated intonation.
If Talway still didn’t understand Prince Qoren’s intention, he would have lived these decades for nothing.
It was simply an attempt to use Tyrosh to up the ante in their cooperation, but unfortunately, he had miscalculated his target.
At this moment, Talway was no longer in a hurry to discuss cooperation; he leisurely sipped the Dornish wine in his cup, wanting to see what these two actually wanted to do.
If they thought Talway was afraid of them, they were gravely mistaken.
If House Martell was dead set on cooperating with the Triarchy, Talway would definitely make Dorne experience the taste of cities burned by flames once more.
Aegon the Conqueror had originally wanted to incorporate Dorne into his rule, which was why he ultimately reconciled with Dorne.
Talway had no such concerns now, so it would only take Terentius a week to scorch Sunspear and Saltshore for a round.
He didn’t believe House Martell could withstand this kind of pressure.
After all, Dorne was not monolithic; one of Dorne’s most powerful houses—House Yronwood—had always been eyeing House Martell like a tiger eyeing its prey.
As for Tyrosh, it was a tiny state, and they, along with Myr and Lys, were the true millennium-old mortal enemies.
The three city-states had fought over the Disputed Lands for thousands of years, beating each other’s dog brains out.
If Volantis hadn’t dispatched troops to seize the Disputed Lands, these three city-states would still be fighting now.
Moreover, the fleet of House Valthorn combined with the Velaryon fleet would be enough to give them a hard time, not to mention that Talway’s side currently had dragons in hand.
That is to say, Talway’s primary goal right now was to develop and prepare for the future Dance of the Dragons.
After all, compared to the entire Reach, what were barren lands like Dorne and the Triarchy?
However, if the Prince of Dorne truly thought Talway was easy to bully and dared to make exorbitant demands, then even just to uphold the majesty of House Valthorn, Talway had to fight. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
Anyway, he had plenty of time and could afford to play a war of attrition.
Prince Qoren and Governor Corio looked at the silent Talway, and finally Governor Corio couldn’t help but speak first: “Lord Talway, I won’t beat around the bush. The Triarchy intends to ally with Dorne to jointly attack The Stepstones to safeguard our interests, but…”
Before he could finish, Talway slammed his goblet onto the table with a loud bang, stood up abruptly, and said with an icy face: “In that case, let’s meet on the battlefield! Let’s go, Azel.”
Before his voice had even faded, he walked out angrily, vividly portraying the temperamental nature of a young noble who wore his anger on his sleeve.
“Please stay, Lord Talway.”
Prince Qoren hurriedly stood up and shouted.
Only then did Talway slowly stop, turn around, cross his arms, frown, and say in a deep voice: “What? Is Prince Qoren going to trample upon the ancient guest right and keep me here? I’m afraid that will disappoint you.”
“Roar——!”
Accompanied by a high-pitched dragon roar, the Tower of the Sun was enveloped by a massive shadow; it was none other than Terentius circling above the Old Palace.
“Misunderstanding! It’s all a misunderstanding!”
Qoren hurried down the raised platform.
Talway’s nonchalant demeanor since entering the city had almost made him forget that this person was only eighteen years old this year, born of the noble bloodline of the dragonlord family.
Being so young, he had won the King’s Landing tournament championship, and had just defeated the Triarchy to capture The Stepstones.
This was precisely the age when a youth was most arrogant and proud; how could his heart tolerate the slightest offense or grievance?
Qoren couldn’t help feeling remorseful in his heart; it was truly a miscalculation.
How could Prince Qoren know that Talway was much more deep and sophisticated than he thought.
All of this was merely put on for him and the Tyroshi emissary to see.
Until their dying day, they would never know that Talway’s mental age was older than either of the two men.