Chapter 15: Bent, Bowed, and Broken (136-138 AC)
The suffocating grip on Dorne tightened with each passing moon of 136 AC. King Viserys I's strategy of complete isolation, economic strangulation, and relentless psychological warfare was proving brutally effective. The scorching sun of Dorne, once a symbol of its fierce independence, now seemed to beat down on a populace growing increasingly weary and desperate. The Prince of Dorne, now Prince Qoren Martell, a man of pride and ancient lineage, found his resolve tested daily by the unseen hand of the Targaryen King.
The naval blockade was absolute. Not a single merchant ship passed through the Dornish Marches or breached the cordon of royal and Velaryon warships patrolling the coastline. What little internal trade Dorne managed was crippled by the Crown's control of key land routes and the constant, unnerving presence of royal patrols along the Red Mountains. Dornish markets, once vibrant hubs of exotic goods, were now starkly empty. Fine silks from Yi Ti, spices from Asshai, even mundane goods like lumber and grain from the Reach, were now luxuries, then memories. Prices for essential goods soared, and a gnawing scarcity began to take root amongst the smallfolk.
The psychological warfare was unrelenting. Balerion's massive shadow became a familiar, terrifying sight over Sunspear, its thunderous roar a daily reminder of inevitable doom. Aemon, often on Argentia, or Rhaenys on Meleys, flew more subtle, pervasive patrols, their dragons' presence a constant pressure on the nerves of the Dornish nobility and commoners alike. Children learned to instinctively look to the sky at the sound of distant wings. The vibrant, defiant spirit of Dorne began to wane under the sheer, unceasing weight of this aerial oppression.
Viserys's intelligence network within Dorne reported back meticulously. Dissension was growing amongst the lords. The Sand, Salt, and Green Dornish, already prone to internal squabbles, found their divisions exacerbated by the privations. Lords in the Greenbelt, with their richer lands, resented the demands placed upon them by the struggling Sand and Salt factions. Whispers of treason, carefully fanned by Viserys's agents, circulated about certain lords considering their options, weighing their ancient pride against the looming threat of ruin. Offers of lucrative trade agreements with the Crown and promises of restored prosperity were secretly extended to those showing signs of wavering loyalty.
By the end of 136 AC, the economic strangulation began to bite deep. Though Dorne's agricultural lands could sustain its people, the lack of vital imports crippled its industries. Salt fishers could not sell their catches, olive oil producers had no markets, and the famed Dornish wines languished in cellars. Gold, once abundant from trade, became scarce. The Crown's deliberate campaign of financial isolation had succeeded. The Royal Dragon Bank's refusal to honor Dornish warrants or extend credit had effectively cut them off from the global economy.
Prince Qoren Martell, a proud and resilient man, initially refused to bend. He dispatched desperate ravens to his traditional allies in the Free Cities, pleading for aid, for a breach of the blockade. But Viserys's earlier diplomatic work and his undisputed control of the Stepstones meant no one dared to openly defy him. The fear of Balerion, and the promise of lucrative trade with the Crown, kept them firmly neutral.
In the first moon of 137 AC, a delegation of angry, desperate Dornish merchants arrived at Sunspear, demanding an audience with Prince Qoren. Their businesses were ruined, their families facing ruin. They had lost everything due to the Crown's unrelenting blockade. Similar protests erupted in Planky Town and other coastal settlements. The smallfolk, while not yet starving thanks to local food production, were weary of the constant threat from the sky and the grinding poverty.
Simultaneously, word arrived of subtle defections. A minor lord, Lady Alyse Uller, from the vaunted Red Mountains, known for her pragmatic nature, had secretly offered fealty to Viserys, citing the "King's wisdom and undeniable strength." Her betrayal, leaked strategically by Viserys's agents, sent a shockwave of despair through the remaining loyalists.
Prince Qoren, isolated and facing growing unrest within his own principality, finally saw the writing on the wall. He was being broken, not by direct assault, but by an unseen, methodical hand. He looked at his proud, defiant people, and saw the encroaching weariness, the growing desperation. He looked at his empty coffers and his isolated ports. He looked to the sky and saw the constant, terrifying presence of the dragons, knowing that if Viserys truly unleashed them, Dorne would indeed become a wasteland.
In the third moon of 137 AC, Prince Qoren Martell sent a single, heavily guarded raven to King's Landing. It carried a message of surrender.
The terms were brutal, dictated entirely by Viserys, without negotiation. Prince Qoren would travel to King's Landing, where he would formally bend the knee before the Iron Throne. Dorne would join the Seven Kingdoms, becoming fully integrated into the realm, subject to all Crown laws and taxes. The Martell line would retain its lordship, but as Wardens of the South, no longer Princes of Dorne. The Sunspear banner would fly beneath the three-headed dragon.
Crucially, Viserys demanded that Dorne contribute a significant portion of its levies to the Royal Army, and that it open its ports and trade routes exclusively to Crown-controlled trade. The Royal Dragon Bank would establish branches in Sunspear and Planky Town, effectively taking control of Dornish finances. He also demanded a massive tribute in gold and resources, ostensibly for "reparations" but truly to further enrich the Crown. There would be no independent Dornish justice, only the King's justice.
In the sixth moon of 137 AC, Prince Qoren Martell, accompanied by a small, somber retinue, arrived in King's Landing. The city was a sea of cheering smallfolk, a stark contrast to the grim faces of the Dornish lords. Qoren was led to the Throne Room, where King Viserys I sat on the Iron Throne, Balerion's immense form visible through the open archways, often circling the Red Keep during public events, a chilling reminder of the power he wielded. Queen Rhaenys sat beside him, regal and composed, and Prince Aemon, now a formidable young man of twenty, stood directly behind his father, Argentia's roar heard faintly in the distance.
Prince Qoren, a man known for his unyielding pride, knelt before the Iron Throne. His voice, when he spoke the words of fealty, was hoarse, but clear:
> "I, Qoren of House Martell, Prince of Dorne, do hereby submit myself and all my lands, castles, and people to King Viserys, First of His Name, King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, and Protector of the Realm. I swear fealty to the Iron Throne, now and forever, and place my sword, my honor, and my life at your command."
>
Viserys did not gloat. He simply extended a hand, motioning for Qoren to rise. "You have made a wise choice, Prince Qoren. Dorne will find peace and prosperity under the Crown. And its people will finally be truly part of the Seven Kingdoms." His voice was calm, almost magnanimous, masking the cold satisfaction of the completed gambit.
The conquest of Dorne was complete. Not with a single, bloody battle, but with a methodical, unrelenting campaign of psychological and economic strangulation that broke their spirit before their bodies. It was a victory of modern strategy over ancient defiance, of total control over traditional autonomy.
By 138 AC, the last independent kingdom of Westeros was firmly under the Iron Throne's command. Viserys had achieved what even Aegon the Conqueror could not. The entire continent was unified, bound by the Crown's laws, its economic arteries, its centralized army, and the unchallengeable power of its dragons. The realm was bent, bowed, and irrevocably broken to the will of King Viserys I Targaryen, ushering in an unparalleled era of Targaryen supremacy, a true golden age forged by a ruthless mind from another world. The Dragon's Gambit was complete.
This chapter brings the "conquest of the continent" aspect of your description to a powerful close. What would you like to explore next as Viserys reigns over his fully unified, unprecedentedly powerful kingdom?