Chapter 340 Three Dukes

The wind blowing from Blackwater Bay carries a unique salty smell, sometimes whispering softly, sometimes roaring violently.

Tyrion combed his messy hair with his fingers. It would be more sincere for Joffrey to greet him in person, rather than sending Lord Tywin's favorite dwarf son.

But... Joffrey could easily mess everything up, and welcoming the Tyrell lady in person was a "good excuse."

And Uncle Kevan... Could it be that letting him come over was a hidden attempt by the old lion to test Martell?

Tyrion stretched out an index finger and scratched his cheek. He suddenly remembered the past events he had inadvertently known.

His mother and Prince Oberyn's mother were good friends. If it were not for Lord Tywin's objection, perhaps Cersei would have married Oberyn, or perhaps Jaime would have married Elia Martell (Rhaegar's wife), or even both together.

Tyrion scratched his cheek again. In his opinion, this was a great marriage. Although the Martell siblings were a bit older, the age difference of five or six years was nothing.

Later, he heard from Uncle Kevan... Lord Tywin arranged a marriage for Jaime with Lysa of the Tully family, but it failed because Jaime suddenly put on a white robe.

Perhaps, all this can only be attributed to the kindness of Seven Gods and his old man.

"Hmm... the bald eagle on the yellow flag... there's something white or pink on its talons... it's swaying in the wind, so I can't see clearly."

"It's... the baby caught in the claws is... it's the Brymond family of Brymond City, it should be."

"White skull on a black flag!"

"The skull with the golden crown on the black background, the crowned skull of the Manwudi family in Wangzhong City!"

"Three black spiders."

"Those are scorpions, Ser Bronn. House Kogle of Sandstone. Their banner is three black scorpions on a red field."

"Yellow at the top and red at the bottom, curved in the middle."

"It's the fire emblem of House Uller of Hellgate Castle."

"A black and red pancake with a golden hand in the middle."

"The Elion family of Divine Grace City."

Bronn glanced sideways at Podrick and said with a smile: "Boy, you are studying well. But reading too much will damage your eyes, and you will not be able to use the sword well."

His gaze returned to the distance: "Next, uh... a red chicken... pecks a snake? It seems like this."

Pod became more and more confident: "The Gorgenles family on the Salt Coast. I'm sorry, Sir Bronn, that's not a chicken, it's a cockatrice, born from a snake hatching a rooster. It has a red body and a long stick in its mouth." The black snake.”

Bronn glanced at the increasingly clear Dornish flag: "A golden feather on the checkerboard-shaped green flag... a pen?"

Podrick puffed up his chest: "It's the coat of arms of the Jordan family in Tor City!"

"Nine of them are correct. Even I can't do it myself, Pod."

This was Tyrion's white lie. He knew every noble house in the Seven Kingdoms by heart, but he didn't mind giving his little squire some confidence.

At the same time, Tyrion's eyes trembled. Prince Oberyn brought half of the great nobles of Dorne to King's Landing... He tried to imagine what this meant, and the more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt.

Look at the flag... They are all the patriarchs or heirs of the family, at least they cannot come together to see the female branch of Junlin.

It was much more convenient for Tyrion to speak while standing on the wooden box. He lowered his voice to Adam Malbrand: "Sir, you must have heard what Pod said about the nine Dornish noble family crests. Send someone to get this crest immediately." Tell my father."

Sir Adam nodded silently and turned to make arrangements.

Tyrion looked back at the Blackwater outside the dock. Although he had not met, he could already feel the hostility of the Dornish people towards the Lannister.

At this moment, for the first time, he was grateful for sister Cersei's willfulness, otherwise... he would have sent Myrcella to Sunspear for marriage, which would probably... not be a wonderful thing.

Occasionally, the Seven Gods and his elders were kind to him.

The bow of the Dornish ship has a large arc and is raised high. It seems to glow faintly in the morning light.

Boohoo - Boohoo - Boohoo - With dozens of oar tips flying neatly on the water, Sunspear's flagship moved from far to near, and its hull slowly docked in the Blackwater River. pier.

The flag fluttered in the wind, and after the planks were lowered, the first to disembark were the horses led by the servants. Some of them were maroon, some were golden, and some were as white as snow. All of them were slender and quick, with slender necks and very beautiful.

The horse has a saddle with intricate carvings on its back, and on it hangs the Dornish people's favorite round iron shield, the short spear used for throwing bundles, and the double-curved Dornish bow they are accustomed to using for mounted shooting.

It is said that although a small Dornish horse cannot support a full body of armor, it can run for two days and one night without feeling tired.

Next came the nobles of Dorne, clad in robes of silk or satin with long flowing sleeves and belts of precious stones, and armor densely decorated or inlaid with polished copper, shining silver, and red soft gold.

During the Conquest of Dorne, King Daeron I Targaryen divided the Dornish people into three major groups: the "salt people" who lived by the sea, the "sand people" who lived in deserts and narrow valleys, and the high mountains and people who lived in the Red Mountains. The "stone man" in the pass. Among them, the Saltmen are considered to have the purest Rhoynar blood.

Tyrion stood at the front of the welcoming team, his eyes slowly scanning the crowd opposite, with a reserved smile on his face.

This time, all three ethnic groups of Dorne's envoys were present. They have distinct features: "Salt People" are soft and dark, with smooth olive skin and long black hair that flutters in the wind; "Sand People" are even darker, and they cannot bear the strong sunlight, so they are used to tying bright long scarves on their heads; "Stone People" are descendants of Andals and the First Men, with brown or blonde hair, but their skin looks rough because of the sunlight in Dorne.

Not long after, a slender and upright man walked out from behind the Dorne nobles. He was wearing a light red silk robe decorated with layers of copper sheets, which looked like thousands of bright new copper plates shining in the soft sunlight.

Seeing the golden spear piercing the sun emblem on the man's body, Tyrion tried his best to straighten his small waist, and his golden nose was emitting golden light.

After approaching, Tyrion raised his chin and said loudly: "Welcome, I am Tyrion of the Lannister family, the King's Finance Minister. When King Joffrey learned of your arrival, he sent me to greet you."

After a pause, he said: "My father - the King's Prime Minister - also warmly welcomes you all."

Then, he touched his chest and said to the tall man in front of him: "Welcome again, Prince Oberyn of the Martell family."

Oberyn Nymeros Martell has a long and melancholy face, with a pair of big eyes as black as kerosene ponds under his thin arched eyebrows, a pointed forehead and nose, and only a few silver threads in his shiny black hair.

It is rumored that when Prince Oberyn was sixteen years old, he was found to have an affair with Earl Edgar's mistress and had a duel, but due to his background and age, the duel was agreed to stop when blood was seen. After the battle, both of them were injured, but Earl Edgar died soon after because of the festering wound. People believed that Oberyn had poisoned his sword... From then on, both his opponents and friends called him "Red Viper".

Prince Oberyn smiled elegantly: "My brother Prince Doran is ill and temporarily unable to travel. He sent me here to represent him in the royal meeting of the Red Castle."

He touched his chest and returned the greeting: "If the king permits."

Tyrion's eyes trembled slightly, and said: "Prince Oberyn, who is famous in the Seven Kingdoms, can come to the king in person. King Joffrey must be very pleased."

Prince Oberyn slightly turned sideways and said: "Please allow me to introduce my companions to you, Lord Lannister."

He stretched out a hand: "These two are Earl Harman Uller of Hellgate and his brother Lord Ulric Uller Knights. These two are Ser Roger Aryon and his bastard son Ser Daemon Sand, who are from Godsgrace. These are…”

When Tyrion thought the introductions were over, Prince Oberyn suddenly smiled and continued, “Oh, and there are honorable ladies. This is Lady Miria Jordain, the heir to Torrhen. These three are Countess Laura Blemont and her daughter Jornessa.”

He raised his hand to signal a black-haired woman at the back of the team to come forward and said to Tyrion, “She is Ellaria Sand, my mistress.”

Hearing the last part, Tyrion couldn’t help but blink.

Prince Oberyn’s mistress? And a bastard? If she were to attend Joffrey’s wedding, his lioness sister would definitely roar and would definitely exclude her. It’s hard to imagine… Having Prince Oberyn’s bastard mistress sitting in a high seat among the guests is a great insult to the ladies at the same table.

Could it be that Prince Doran sent his brother to stir up disputes?

After the introduction, Prince Oberyn looked at the Dornish nobles gathered around him and said with a smile: "Everyone, have you seen it? How much our good King Joffrey loves Dorne, he even sent his uncle, the little devil, to be in charge of the reception."

When he finished speaking, someone first chuckled, and then a low laugh came.

Tyrion pretended to be happy, and he finally suppressed his impulsive tongue. The dwarf son did not forget his father's warning and his mission.

Ignoring the laughter in his ears, he smiled slightly and stretched out a hand: "Please allow me to introduce the people around me. This is Ser Adam Marbrand, the current commander-in-chief of the capital guard. This is Ser Bronn of Blackwater, he is my captain of the guard. This is my squire, young Podrick, from the Payne family."

Although it was not obvious on his face, Tyrion had to admit that compared with Prince Oberyn's side, his side... was indeed not good enough.

After a short silence, Prince Oberyn smiled and said, "Everyone, it's a great honor. Lord Tyrion, my companions have traveled a long distance, they need a bath, food and wine, may I ask if they can enter the city immediately?"

Tyrion grinned: "Of course, my prince."

…………

"Hey, Green!"

Outside the gate of the Red Castle, Duke Mace was dressed solemnly, and his fat face was full of uncontrollable smiles.

Green smiled and said, "Congratulations, Duke Mace."

Duke Mace touched his beard proudly and said, "I want to congratulate you too, Duke Green."

He looked up and down at the gentle Green with satisfaction, and said, "I am happy for you and proud of you. May the friendship between the Golden Rose and the Marigold last forever."

At the same time, he secretly regretted that if Green was his own child, he would even be willing to give up attacking Storm's End!

Green stroked his chest and said, "Cleaver will never forget."

After the two chatted for a while, Duke Mace suddenly said, "By the way, I heard that you are preparing to attack Dragonstone?"

Hearing this, Green said with some surprise: "The Red Castle really has no secrets. I did send people to collect intelligence on Dragonstone Island, but I have no plan to attack there yet."

He shrugged: "After Stannis was routed in the Battle of King's Landing, one of his small fleets invaded my port (Chapter 263). Although they failed, I had to be vigilant."

The Duke of Mace seemed to be relieved. He clasped his hands behind his back and said, "If you want to attack Dragonstone one day, I can ask the Redwin family's fleet to help you. But... without Targaryen's Dragonstone Island, I can only say...it doesn't make much sense to attack there, and the terrain of Dragonstone Island is difficult. If you want to attack that place, the attackers will definitely pay heavy casualties."

He stroked his beard: "The most important thing is that the only spoils there are stones. Besides stones, they are still stones..."

As he spoke, he glanced around first, then moved slightly closer to Green, with a hint of hatred in his lowered voice: "We should let the Lannister attack the stone island."

Green pursed his lips and smiled: "This is a good idea, Duke of Metz."

A look of satisfaction flashed across Duke Metz's face. He squinted his eyes and slowly touched his beard.

After a while, someone suddenly sang: "Welcome—the King's Hand—Lord Tywin Lannister!"

As the voice fell, the nobles gathered outside the gate of the Red Castle watched. When the figure wearing a purple velvet robe and the prime minister's necklace appeared, they all bowed.

The two dukes did not have to follow the crowd to salute. Duke Mace looked at Duke Tywin who was approaching and just puffed up his chest proudly. Green on the side "read" the look of envy in his eyes, but it disappeared very quickly. quick.

"Prime Minister Tywin."

Duke Tywin's expression today was rare with a little gentleness. His light green eyes moved slightly, he tapped his chin towards Green and said: "Duke Green."

Hundreds of people gathered here, all coming to welcome the future queen of the Seven Kingdoms. The three dukes stood at the front of the crowd.

Lord Tywin stands in the center, with the Lord of Highgarden in the Reach on his right and the Lord of the Eyrie in the Vale on his left.

The largest number of people gathered were the royal nobles, followed by the nobles from the River Bend and the West, as well as a small number of stormland nobles and valley nobles.

When they saw the three Dukes standing in front of the crowd having a friendly exchange, at this moment... most people chose to believe that the war in the Seven Kingdoms would soon end, and that the rule of Baratheon's Iron Throne would not be shaken. .