A Game of Thrones 4-Book Bundle

right ear. Maester Caleotte was able to save her life, but no poultice nor potion will ever restore her face. She was my
ward,
Arianne. Betrothed to your own brother and under my protection. You have dishonored all of us.”
    â€œI never meant her harm,” Arianne insisted. “If Hotah had not interfered . . .”
    â€œ. . . you would have crowned Myrcella queen, to raise a rebellion against her brother. Instead of an ear, she would have lost her life.”
    â€œOnly if we lost.”
    â€œ
If?
The word is
when.
Dorne is the least populous of the Seven Kingdoms. It pleased the Young Dragon to make all our armies larger when he wrote that book of his, so as to make his conquest that much more glorious, and it has pleased us to water the seed he planted and let our foes think us more powerful than we are, but a princess ought to know the truth. Valor is a poor substitute for numbers. Dorne cannot hope to win a war against the Iron Throne, not alone. And yet that may well be what you have given us. Are you proud?” The prince did not allow her time to answer. “What am I to do with you, Arianne?”
    Forgive me,
part of her wanted to say, but his words had cut her too deeply. “Why, do what you always do. Do nothing.”
    â€œYou make it difficult for a man to swallow his anger.”
    â€œBest stop swallowing, you’re like to choke on it.” The prince did not answer. “Tell me how you knew my plans.”
    â€œI am the Prince of Dorne. Men seek my favor.”
    Someone told.
“You knew, and yet you still allowed us to make off with Myrcella. Why?”
    â€œThat was my mistake, and it has proved a grievous one. You are my daughter, Arianne. The little girl who used to run to me when she skinned her knee. I found it hard to believe that you would conspire against me. I had to learn the truth.”
    â€œNow you have. I want to know who informed on me.”
    â€œI would as well, in your place.”
    â€œWill you tell me?”
    â€œI can think of no reason why I should.”
    â€œYou think I cannot discover the truth on my own?”
    â€œYou are welcome to try. Until such time you must mistrust them all . . . and a little mistrust is a good thing in a princess.” Prince Doran sighed. “You disappoint me, Arianne.”
    â€œSaid the crow to the raven. You have been disappointing me for years, Father.” She had not meant to be so blunt with him, but the words came spilling out.
There, now I have said it.
    â€œI know. I am too meek and weak and cautious, too lenient to our enemies. Just now, though, you are in need of some of that leniency, it seems to me. You ought to be pleading for my forgiveness rather than seeking to provoke me further.”
    â€œI ask leniency only for my friends.”
    â€œHow noble of you.”
    â€œWhat they did they did for love for me. They do not deserve to die on Ghaston Grey.”
    â€œAs it happens, I agree. Aside from Darkstar, your fellow plotters were no more than foolish children. Still, this was no harmless game of
cyvasse.
You and your friends were playing at treason. I might have had their heads off.”
    â€œYou might have, but you didn’t. Dayne, Dalt, Santagar . . . no, you would never dare make enemies of such Houses.”
    â€œI dare more than you dream . . . but leave that for the nonce. Ser Andrey has been sent to Norvos to serve your lady mother for three years. Garin will spend his next two years in Tyrosh. From his kin amongst the orphans, I took coin and hostages. Lady Sylva received no punishment from me, but she was of an age to marry. Her father has shipped her to Greenstone to wed Lord Estermont. As for Arys Oakheart, he chose his own fate and met it bravely. A knight of the Kingsguard . . . what did you
do
to him?”
    â€œI fucked him, Father. You did command me to entertain our noble visitors, as I recall.”
    His face grew flushed. “Was that all that was required?”
    â€œI told him that once Myrcella was the queen she would give us leave to marry. He wanted me for his wife.”
    â€œYou did everything you could to stop him from dishonoring his vows, I am certain,” her father said.
    It was her turn to flush. Her seduction of Ser Arys had required half a year. Though he claimed to have known other women before taking the white, she would never have known that from the way he acted. His caresses had been clumsy, his kisses