Tournament of Crowns: Gods Among Titans

Four

ANAYSHA

I continued getting a very detailed tour of the palace, which is where I'll probably be calling home for the time being. I have to give the highest credit to the Red Viper because he had the generosity to let me stay here under full, guaranteed protection. Through all the stories and tall tales that I was told, I didn't think that the crown prince of Dorne would have even the slightest shred of humanity in him.

"So tell me, princess," he said while we were roaming around the upper level of the palace. "What makes your father such a bane to your existence?"

I sighed before starting on a long ramble as to why my father was such a pain. "He's much more controlling than a genuine father should be. If anyone dared to not agree with him, he'd start yelling and trying to convince them that they're wrong and he's right. He's also tried to push me into arranged marriages ever since I was fourteen, expecting me to get married instantly once I turned fifteen. But I kept objecting to them, keeping true to my belief about love and marriage."

I could tell he was interested in hearing what I had to say about my beliefs, which is what I didn't expect. "And what is your take on love?"

I shot him a glance before continuing on. "I think it should be birthed naturally. No one should have to be forced into loving someone, especially if it's someone you don't have any feeling toward. No matter how many times I would tell my father that I would eventually find love myself, he would still bring forth different princes—Lannisters, Targaryens, pretty much anyone he could find—and try to marry me off. It hasn't worked yet."

"For four years, he has tried that?" he asked.

"Tried and failed, Your Highness," I confirmed.

Silence has swooped in faster than the quickest raven, and I was left with a racing mind. What was I going to say next? How do I not make this conversation with the crown prince of Dorne not awkward?

"If I had the chance, Your Highness, I would gladly summon the strongest armies known to Westeros and invade my former home," I finally spoke up. "It would serve as not only the resolution to this long ordeal, but it also be my perfect chance at revenge against my father for putting me through hell all these years."

"At first glance, I wouldn't think of you as one to resort to revenge," he sneered in a flirtatious tone.

I chuckled lightly. "I only resort to such brutality if it's absolutely necessary."

He returned the light chuckle. "That is some common ground we can both stand on."

The prince then gave me insight into some of the diplomatic concepts behind Dorne and what he thought was best for its militaries. "Dorne is such a beautiful kingdom. A kingdom that doesn't need to initiate conflict to be powerful. Here, our diplomatic strategy is to stay out of foreign affairs and keep to the beauty here, while also privately building up our militaries. We don't resort to revenge and fighting back unless another kingdom threatens us first."

"I love that idea," I commented.

We stopped dead in our tracks, looking over the water gardens from a balcony. It was beautiful, indeed. A better change-of-pace compared to the raging gray seas back home. Meanwhile, the charming prince shot a subtly shocked glance over to me.

"Really? I would think you wouldn't dabble into other kingdoms' policies," he commented.

I shrugged. "I do that when I'm bored and wish for another life away from the hell my father's hammered down onto me. But of course, I love that custom of neutrality."

"You do?"

"Of course," I elaborated. "It protects the people and doesn't put them at greater risk. That's the best you can do as a ruler, or crown prince, in your case."