"A king's wife must be beyond suspicion." Prince Oberyn listened to this statement from Viserys; Viserys was not Rhaegar, but rather more like a typical Targaryen.
A fiery temper, bright and sharp—a true dragon.
If Arianne Martell were merely the heir to Dorne and a ruling princess, then her flirtatious nature and dissolute lifestyle would be her own business; those men would simply be her accessories.
But if Arianne were to be a candidate for queen through marriage, such rumors would make her a laughingstock.
Even mere gossip would tarnish the image of the king's betrothed, and Arianne's life was hardly chaste.
To press further and try to force a match between Arianne and Viserys would be self-humiliation; a beast of power like Viserys would not take someone else's leftovers, and he was no longer the Beggar King without a crown.
Even though the Dornish were by nature passionate and unrestrained, they still understood that chastity was a quality a noble lady ought to possess.
To put it bluntly, noble marriages were like trading goods in a marketplace; the price depended on the quality of the goods.
The miscarrying Lysa Tully might be an exception, but that was only because of the fierce fires of the war of The Usurper, which forced the strategically positioned Hoster Tully to shove his daughter onto old Jon Arryn.
Hoster had threatened his daughter, saying if she did not agree, she would be cast out of the house like the Blackfish.
Even Hoster himself had said that Lysa should thank the heavens that such a prominent great lord as Jon Arryn was willing to marry a woman who had already been deflowered and had miscarried; in reality, all Arryn wanted was the Tully army.
Moreover, the heir to House Arryn had died, and Jon needed a new heir.
"I understand. There will be a new alliance between us." The Red Viper took a deep breath and said.
For the nobility, a fling is a fling, and a marriage is a marriage; these things could not be confused.
A classic example was the Wild Wolf Brandon, who would play with other women while passionately courting Catelyn, who was of equal status.
"A new alliance. Beyond marriage, I still trust Dorne to be my loyal ally," Viserys said, raising his glass.
Primarily, times had changed; Dorne had shifted from the dominant position it held during the Braavos alliance to now being merely auxiliary forces for Viserys.
Viserys's comeback relied on his Andalos legions and rhoynar legions, not on waiting for the Dornish army to board ships.
"However, this is not too late. At most, we are behind William Dary and Roland Rykker." The Red Viper set down his glass and gave a self-deprecating smile.
Viserys made no comment. If ranked by timing and old loyalties, the Martells indeed had to fall behind House Dary and House Lykke.
William Dary had sheltered Viserys for six years, and Roland Rykker was his new master-at-arms and subordinate.
They could only be considered second or third-tier talents, but these were the people who had protected Viserys.
In times of suffering, loyalty outweighs everything else.
Investment and return are always proportional, and adding flowers to brocade is never as precious as offering charcoal in snowy weather.
"How will you reward them?" The Red Viper asked tentatively.
"I haven't thought of the specifics yet, but I believe the Trident River region doesn't need a Warden or a Lord Paramount. I will punish the Tullys severely, and I will restore the wealth and honor of House Dary and House Lykke," Viserys replied coldly.
The old supporters of the Royalists had already seen their lands reduced and had paid heavy fines under the new regime.
As for these fence-sitting Tullys, it would be unjust not to strike them hard.
"Hoster Tully, what a shrewd old man, marrying into two great ancient noble houses." The Red Viper's smile held a dark malice. "I hope that day comes soon—the dragon king's punishment."
"Back then, we deliberately hid this alliance to protect you, and also because we didn't trust you two little children to bear the burden of such a secret. But this deliberate forbearance caused the alliance to go against our wishes." The Red Viper sighed; the marriage alliance was thus abandoned.
This alliance had a major flaw: it ignored the power of time. They had underestimated Viserys and overestimated Arianne.
No one is a blank slate waiting for this empty alliance to be fulfilled; young people will live their lives the way they choose.
The wandering Viserys, and Arianne, who was single-mindedly plotting her position as heir to Dorne.
"As the envoy of my brother, Prince Doran, and as a signatory of the previous alliance, I am qualified to amend or annul the original agreement," The Red Viper emphasized.
"Then we can terminate this alliance, under the witness of the gods," Viserys said.
Viserys still felt quite relieved; he was certain he had little interest in Arianne, who used her body as a weapon.
If she were just a subordinate, that would be one thing, but to have her as a queen would be too unbearable.
Inside the White Keep, there were now only The Red Viper, Viserys, and Bishop Umber.
"The Father!" "The Mother!" "The Warrior!" "The Stranger!"
Bishop Umber chanted piously before the statues of the Seven. "Under the light of the Seven, the incomplete covenant shall be corrected, like putting the final piece into a puzzle."
The sculpture of the Father held scales in his hand, which represented a form of divine judgment.
"The betrothal from six years ago no longer possesses the possibility of fulfillment. The faithful Arianne and the faithful Viserys are unaware of each other, unacquainted, and have never consummated the marriage. Now, the change in circumstances is the reason for the termination of the agreement; it does not violate morality and is a sacred reason permitted by the Father. Are you certain you wish to terminate the agreement?"
"I am certain!" The Red Viper placed his hand upon The seven-pointed star.
"I am certain!" Viserys also pressed his palm onto the holy book.
"The Father, justice." "The Mother, mercy."
"Under the shining light of the Father, Viserys Targaryen, Oberyn Martell, are you willing to terminate this Braavos alliance, with no ill will toward each other, and with mutual understanding? Do you still hold feelings of brotherly love, and do you guarantee that there will be no further disputes between the two parties?"
"I do!" "I do!"
"The gods have heard your voices. Please sign your names. I declare that under the witness of the gods, the alliance is officially terminated." Bishop Umber produced a piece of white parchment marked with the seven-pointed star.
Viserys and The Red Viper signed their names respectively, and the bishop signed in the witness section.
Finally, this alliance was officially terminated.
Viserys breathed a sigh of relief; breaking an oath would sound terrible if it got out, and he could consider himself rid of the rotten rose, Arianne.
"One day, Arianne will understand that she only saw the grass before her eyes and ignored the high mountains in the distance." The Red Viper felt a slight regret, but accepted his fate.
Who could help it? That was just Arianne's personality—a creature driven by appetite and desire.
The Red Viper could only conclude that the world was full of regrets, but even without Arianne, they still had Rhaenys.
"No man is an island, Prince Oberyn. You educated Arianne in the Dornish way, but you did not tell her of the potential dangers and glory of the future."
Viserys couldn't be bothered to criticize Arianne; after all, the antics Arianne pulled were not unrelated to Prince Doran's machinations.
At night, inside the council chamber of the White Keep.
Viserys sat on the oak throne, looking at his visitor, the smuggling tycoon of the seas.
"Great King of the Andalos and the rhoynar, Your Majesty Viserys, your fame spreads from the Narrow Sea to the Summer Sea," said the Myrishman, the commander of the mercenary fleet, Morroq.
These smugglers primarily engaged in smuggling work, but when idle, they could also do the work of pirates.
Morroq looked a bit like a rhoynar, a slick middle-aged Myrishman; he wore magnificent clothes and had a myrish lens as an accessory at his waist.
The original inhabitants of Myr mostly had olive skin, black hair, and black eyes.
Maesters speculated based on this observation that they were close relatives of the rhoynar, but because Myr had settlements and inhabitants long ago, this speculation might not be correct.
"Have the trinkets I wanted arrived, Commander?" Viserys asked.
Viserys had obtained the smugglers' channels from Illyrio and had just imported a batch of military equipment, including myrish crossbows.
"Brand new myrish crossbows, myrish lenses!" Morroq patted his chest and guaranteed with exaggeration.
Morroq had his servants assemble the new myrish crossbows—perfect pieces capable of firing two bolts, brand new crossbows.
"Very good. Are there no three-shot versions?" Viserys asked.
"I am sorry, Your Majesty. Three-shot crossbows are extremely expensive, and they are prohibited from export; it would bring trouble," the Myrishman apologized.
"Very well. Besides the lenses and crossbows, I think you can also smuggle a set of distilling equipment for me," Viserys requested.
The Greenvine Family's stills were a bit crude; the best brewing vessels were copper, which allowed for complex flavors.
"As you wish, Your Majesty. The craftsmen of Myr are very professional, and their handicrafts are works of exquisite skill," Morroq said.
"Do it well. I hope we have a pleasant cooperation," Viserys looked at the smuggler.
"This is the highest honor." Morroq beamed; this was the smuggling channel for an entire kingdom, which meant he would make a fortune. "It's a pity my old friend, The Onion Knight, isn't working with us anymore; the fellow climbed a high branch, but I have also climbed to a king."
Viserys knew that these smugglers were all connected in a network; The Onion Knight, Morroq, Salladhor—the best smugglers on the sea were all acquaintances.
In the past, their smuggling was done by quietly slipping into Braavos, Myr, or Volantis in the dead of night, unknown to gods or men, and then quietly loading up on silk and spices to evade tariffs.
But now, they were openly sourcing goods to deliver to this newly risen Andalos Dragon King.