After the caravan passed through a grove of sand-olives, the view opened up, and Arthur finally saw the destination of this journey: Sunspear, the seat of House Martell and the capital of Dorne.
Sunspear sat at the easternmost tip of a small sandstone peninsula, surrounded by the sea on three sides.
Similar to the Winter Town outside Winterfell in the North, the Shadow City clung to the western side of Sunspear.
The Shadow City stretched westward in the shadow of Sunspear's massive Winding Walls. The mud-brick houses remained cool even under the blazing sun.
Mud-brick shops and windowless hovels clustered against the castle walls. Stables, inns, taverns, and brothels lay further west, some with their own walls.
New houses were built against the walls of their neighbors.
Year after year, this repeated until the Shadow City reached its current scale.
Although Dornishmen called it a city, its size was at best that of a small town—a strange, dusty, and ugly little town.
The narrow streets and alleys within were a labyrinthine maze.
Before the caravan even reached the walls, a troop of cavalry galloped towards them from the distance, flying the banner of the golden spear piercing a red sun—the sigil of House Martell.
"It's the Sunspear guard," Lady Nym said softly, a hint of amusement in her eyes.
The cavalry troop soon arrived before them. The leader was a tall knight clad in copper-inlaid armor, his face beneath the helmet stern and cold.
He reined in his horse, his gaze sweeping over the group before nodding slightly.
"Lady Nym, my Lords, Sers, welcome to Sunspear." The knight's voice was deep and powerful. "The Prince has been waiting for you in the city for some time."
"Daemon Sand?" Lady Nym recognized the man, smiled, and nodded. "It's been a long time. We'll enter the city now."
So this is Daemon Sand? Arthur sized up the tall, handsome knight before him.
Through tireless effort along the journey, Arthur had gleaned some valuable information from Lady Nym.
One piece of information concerned this Ser Daemon Sand, the Bastard of Godsgrace from House Allyrion.
According to Lady Nym, Daemon Sand used to be her father Oberyn's squire. Later, he was knighted by Oberyn himself.
Furthermore, he was a central figure in the upcoming tourney at Sunspear, and the first lover of Princess Arianne Martell—the one who took her maidenhead.
Handsome, impressive resume, popular with women... Wait, wait, wait... something's wrong.
Is this the kind of bastard Arthur is familiar with?
Bastards of this generation are usually perverts, Night's Watchmen, blacksmiths, or almost-sacrifices.
Why does this guy's style look nothing like a bastard's?
Arthur pondered hard, then realized his name was Daemon.
Oh, never mind then.
Ser Daemon Sand greeted everyone, then signaled his cavalry to clear the way, leading the caravan towards Sunspear.
The Threefold Gate—three winding walls encircling the castle, threading through the Shadow City—provided a direct path to the Old Palace of Sunspear.
This allowed them to bypass the miles of winding, maze-like streets of the town.
Along the way, Lady Nym enthusiastically introduced the sights, food, and history of Sunspear.
Having been to massive trading cities like Braavos and Pentos, and cities in his previous life, Arthur was unimpressed.
And the places Arthur was interested in... Lady Nym wouldn't talk about them in the morning.
However, Edric, on his first long journey, was fascinated by everything, looking around eagerly as Lady Nym spoke.
It wasn't until they entered the inner walls and Lady Nym pointed to two high towers that Arthur's attention was drawn.
"The Spear Tower represents the spear of House Martell, while the slightly shorter Tower of the Sun beside it represents the sun of the Rhoynar."
Hearing the keyword "Sun," Arthur looked in the direction Lady Nym pointed.
The Spear Tower was a slender tower rising one hundred and fifty feet high, topped with a spear of gilded steel that added another thirty feet to its height.
The Tower of the Sun was not as tall as the Spear Tower, but it was still the second tallest structure in the inner castle. From the outside, one could see its golden dome and thick, colored glass.
Arthur asked Edric, who was using his hand to measure the height of the Spear Tower, "Edric, how does this Spear Tower compare to the Palestone Sword Tower of Starfall?"
"I'm not sure." Edric lowered his hand and shook his head. "I feel there shouldn't be much difference between the two."
Arthur: "If anyone asks, just say the Palestone Sword Tower is shorter than the Spear Tower."
"As long as we know in our hearts that the Palestone Sword Tower is the tallest."
Edric nodded seriously. "Understood, Cousin."
Lady Nym laughed beside them. "How did House Dayne trust you with this child as your page? Look at what you're teaching him."
Arthur curled his lip in disdain. "What do you know? I'm teaching Edric that a great man knows when to bend and when to stretch."
"House Martell's words are Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken, and you're teaching Edric to 'bend and stretch' right in front of me," Lady Nym retorted huffily. "If my father hears this, do you think he'll knight you?"
"Ah?"
Arthur froze, then immediately put on a serious face. "Edric, I was joking just now. Pretend you didn't hear it."
"Cousin, I understand. Are you demonstrating 'bending and stretching' right now?" Edric clearly saw through his cousin's intentions, patted his chest, and turned to say in his childish voice:
"Lady Nym, I heard nothing just now."
Lady Nym rolled her eyes at the pair and said no more.
---
Upon entering the inner castle, under the arrangement of the Sunspear steward, Arthur was led to a prepared room in a tower.
Arthur's room had a balcony facing the Greenblood.
Standing on the balcony and looking out, he could see the waters of the Greenblood shimmering silver in the sunlight.
On the river, small boats drifted slowly, and sometimes galleys flying foreign flags arrived from Planky Town upstream.
The riverbanks were lined with rows of palm trees, olive trees, and fig trees.
Further out lay the endless yellow sands and desert.
Just then, Edric's voice came from inside the room. "Cousin, we've organized the room and beds. Can we go play in the tourney grounds outside?"
Arthur replied without turning his head, "Go ahead. Remember what I taught you this morning: don't cause trouble."
Not long after Edric left, a Sunspear guard knocked and entered. "My Lord, Prince Oberyn has accepted your request for a meeting. Please follow me."
Arthur adjusted his attire and appearance, composed himself, and said, "Very well. Lead the way."
---
In a side hall near the Tower of the Sun, which overlooked the training yard where squires were sparring, Arthur met the famous "Red Viper," Prince Oberyn Martell.
In the north of Dorne, people commonly called him the "Red Viper" due to the rumors of him poisoning his blade.
Yet, Dornishmen held Prince Oberyn in high esteem, praising him as "Dorne has sands as numerous as the stars, but only one man who stands above all under heaven."
After the guard left, Prince Oberyn leaned back lazily in his chair. "Arthur Snow. I've heard of you. People call you the Falcon Catcher."
"Rumor has it you quelled the wildling rebellion in the Red Mountains, personally slew the Vulture King, and were granted a fief?"
Prince Oberyn had the same widow's peak as Lady Nym, and eyes as black as the eternal night, like a viper's.
Time had left wrinkles on his face and thinned his eyebrows, but his black hair remained lustrous, with only a few streaks of silver.
"Your Grace, the news you received is only half correct. I did receive a fief." Arthur bowed.
"But I alone cannot defeat over four thousand wildlings. As for the Vulture King, he died by a spear thrust. He was likely killed by a brave soldier of Starfall."
A flash of surprise crossed Oberyn's eyes.
He knew the cause of the Vulture King's death. He said what he did only to test the man's character.
Does not claim undue credit, does not covet honor. This was Arthur's first impression on him.
Oberyn gestured for Arthur to sit in the adjacent chair.
After Arthur sat down, Oberyn asked, "Why do you wish to see me?"
Arthur looked into Oberyn's eyes. "Your Grace, if you would knight me, I would be immensely grateful."
"Grateful?" Oberyn paused, then laughed. "What need have I of your gratitude?"
Arthur: "The gratitude of Arthur Snow may be of little use to you."
"But the gratitude of the Sword of the Morning, Arthur Snow, would be quite different."
"Sword of the Morning? You?" Oberyn was surprised, then narrowed his eyes to scrutinize Arthur for a moment before shaking his head.
"It is known that only an outstanding knight of House Dayne can wield Dawn and hold the title of Sword of the Morning. And your name is not Dayne."
"The last Sword of the Morning was my uncle. My mother named me after him," Arthur explained.
"Furthermore, I have already gained Starfall's recognition."
"My cousin, the current Lord of Starfall, Edric Dayne, is my page."
"As long as Your Grace knights me, I will be qualified to enter the Palestone Sword Tower and attempt to draw Dawn."
Oberyn sat up straight. "To be honest, I don't care about the status or faith of the people I knight, as long as I get along with them."
"However, you were never my squire. We meet for the first time, and I do not know you. Knighting a stranger often leads to unpleasant consequences."
He stood up and walked to the balcony, looking down at the training yard where many squires were sparring.
"Your uncle, the last Sword of the Morning, knighted Jaime Lannister. Yet the Kingslayer killed the king Ser Arthur swore to protect."
"Prince Rhaegar knighted Gregor Clegane, the Mountain. Yet the Mountain harmed Rhaegar's wife, Elia Martell, and her children."
Arthur listened quietly until Prince Oberyn finished.
He noticed that when Oberyn mentioned the Mountain, although his voice remained calm, his teeth were clenched, and deep in his black eyes, a fire of rage burned.
Lady Nym had told him that her father, Oberyn, was closest to Elia, who died in Robert's Rebellion, and that Oberyn never forgot his desire for vengeance against the Lannisters.
With Oberyn bringing this up, the refusal was clear. Arthur knew today's conversation should end here.
He hadn't expected to succeed on the first try. The purpose of this meeting was merely to state his intent, make his face known, and show goodwill.
Perhaps he would have to wait until the tourney began, win the jousting championship, and then petition Prince Doran.
Thinking this, Arthur stood up. "Your Grace, what you say is true. I cannot refute it."
"The Kingslayer's deeds are known to all."
"When I was at Winterfell, my uncle told us that Tywin Lannister presented the bodies of Rhaegar's wife and children to show his loyalty."
"My uncle expressed deep abhorrence for this. He felt it was murder and had a fierce argument with King Robert over it."
With that, Arthur bowed and turned to leave. "I beg your leave."
He needed to prepare his armor and equipment, adapt to his horse and the venue, observe his opponents in the tourney, and gather intelligence.
"Wait!"
Oberyn suddenly stopped him. "Tell me, what else did Eddard Stark say? About Elia and her children."
"Your Grace, he simply taught us that slaughtering innocents after a war has ended, and murdering children at any time, are heinous acts." Arthur turned back.
"Your Grace, I deeply sympathize with the fate of your sister and her children. The rest is common knowledge."
With that, Arthur bowed again and left the side hall.
Creak, creak—
Not long after Arthur left, the sound of wooden wheels rolling came from the side hall.
A tall Norvoshi guard pushed Prince Doran, seated in a wheelchair, out of a concealed room adjacent to the hall.
"Doran, what do you think of the boy?" Oberyn looked in the direction of the voice.
"I met Brandon Stark. They look very alike, but only in appearance."
Prince Doran looked calmly at his brother. "'Knows when to bend and when to stretch.' If his father Brandon had known this saying, he wouldn't have died in King's Landing."
"The boy said that?" Oberyn frowned. "I don't like that saying. House Martell's words are Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken!"
"Doran, I have waited long enough. How much longer must we wait before we can seek justice for Elia and her children?"
Prince Doran smiled weakly. "Leave us, Captain."
The Captain of the Guard from Norvos acknowledged and left with his longaxe.
"Did Lady Nym never mention him to you?" Prince Doran did not answer Oberyn's question directly.
"As far as I know, she maintains a very intimate relationship with Arthur Snow."
"No. I never ask about my daughters' affairs in that regard." Oberyn's expression remained unchanged.
"I once told my daughters: If you want to marry, marry.
"If you don't want to marry, seek your own pleasure. There is little enough joy in this world.
"I only ask them to remember one thing: choose carefully. If they let a fool or a brute entangle them, don't ask me for help, because I gave them the tools to solve it themselves."
Prince Doran: "I have to admit, you've done better than me in raising daughters."
"You gave Obara a spear, raised Nymeria to be Lady Nym, taught Tyene the art of poisons, and Sarella inherited your thirst for knowledge."
"Arianne often says that if you tied the four of them together, they'd be a Red Viper with teats."
Listening to Doran's calm narration, the fire in Oberyn's eyes gradually dimmed. After a silence, he said, "I love them."
"They love you too," Prince Doran said.
"If we rush to seek justice for Elia and her children, disrupting our previous plans and layout, it will not only cause meaningless casualties to thousands of Dornishmen..."
"In the end, not only will we fail to get justice for Elia and her children, but I will die, and you will die."
Prince Doran's tone remained calm. "Just like our House words: Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken!"
"Our offspring will surely be like you and me today, living for vengeance, and dying for vengeance!"
"Oberyn, do you really wish to see such a scene?"
The rage in Oberyn's eyes vanished, replaced by calm. "Doran, you always manage to persuade me."