AN:
In the Game of Stones, you either win or you wait. The more Power Stones you offer, the faster the chapters come.
...
( Elia Martell POV )
Princess Elia Martell was disappointed, and why wouldn't she be? Her mother had gone to Lord Tywin to seek betrothals, as they had all known was the objective from the start of this trip. While they had stayed with and considered many other noble houses on their voyage up the coast from Dorne, the Lannisters were always the most desirable, wealthy, and powerful, with their Lord as Hand of the King and several children of a friend of her mother as heirs.
Thus, the young Jaime had been an ideal match and a desirable one. Jaime was heir to Casterly Rock, seemingly talented in martial pursuits, charismatic, and funny. He was younger than her, but not so much as to be an issue, they could have been we'd in only three or four years.
As her mother had told her though, Jaime's price was too high. The fleet of Dorne was what Lord Tywin had asked, and even Elia could see that it was not something her mother could afford to pay. The fleet was their kingdom's best defense against slavers, pirates, and other seafaring villains from the Stepstones and the Free Cities. She suspected that Lord Tywin had known that too, and set the price so high to indicate his disinterest in the arrangement.
So, much to her disappointment, the betrothal had instead been arranged to Callum, the bookish younger brother who spent all his time in his tower. It wasn't as if she hated the boy, but that wasn't what she wanted in a husband, wanted to spend the rest of her life with.
Still, Elia was a Martell princess, bound by blood and duty to do her family proud, so she managed to hold a smile on her face when Lord Tywin greeted Elia and her mother in his office. Her soon-to-be betrothed, Callum, sitting beside his father looking so small in comparison. Elia sighed within her mind. 'ten years my younger, ten years, and I shall have to wait six before I marry him.'
"Princess Ennella, Princess Elia, excellent." Lord Tywin nodded his head towards the two of them. "We can begin with the signing then."
On the desk in front of him, there were two copies of the betrothal contract, written out on long scrolls of parchment. A formal betrothal contract was nearly as fixed as a marriage, Wars had been started over violating them before. Elia knew the signature she would make here would be as heavy as an oath sworn on the Seven.
Glancing over the Parchment, the terms of the Betrothal were thus:
Princess Elia Martell of House Martell shall be henceforth betrothed to Callum Lannister of House Lannister. They are to be wed on or around the 5th day of the sixth moon, 281 AC, in a Sept of appropriate standing. They are to keep their house names until and unless one or the other assumes a position as Lord of the Westerlands or Princess of Dorne, at which point the other will join the house of the one assuming said position.
Any children produced by this union are to be named to House Lannister unless Princess Elia assumes the position of Princess of Dorne, in which case they will be named to House Martell.
Effective immediately upon the Marriage, the following terms will take effect.
1) House Martell and House Lannister will enter into an alliance, in times of peace and war. Should either house be placed under threat, the other will summon their banners to help defend it. Likewise, both houses shall work towards their common benefit in matters of trade and economy.
2) House Martell will provide a dowry of 8,500 good dragons to the household of Callum and Princess Elia, as well as a stock of 8 Dornish Sand Steed studs and 16 mares of high quality from Dorne's royal stables.
3) House Martell will send an honor guard of 10 household knights to accompany and serve at Princess Elia's command in the Westerlands.
4) House Lannister and House Martell will treat merchant vessels hailing from the other kingdom under the same laws and tariffs as merchants from their own lands.
5) House Lannister will provide the married couple with an ongoing stipend of 50 gold dragons per moon until and unless either Callum or Princess Elia attain a lordly or royal position to finance their own means.
Let the agreement of House Martell and House Lannister to these terms be acknowledged under the eyes of the seven and let the breaking of these terms, for any reason other than the death of either Callum or Princess Elia prior to their marriage, be cursed under the eyes of the Seven.
Below the terms, on the parchment, there were four lines, exactly the same across both copies of the betrothal contract.
Elia glanced up from the parchment. Her mother and Lord Tywin seemed to both be satisfied by the terms, based on their expression, while Callum… the boy looked down at the contract with great focus, much as she had been doing a moment earlier.
Suddenly his green eyes snapped up and met her gaze, and Elia found herself staring back. The boy's expression was hard to read, but she felt as if there was a great deal happening behind his eyes. Thoughts she didn't know him well enough to pry into.
He broke their mutual staring a moment later, shaking his head.
"Shall we sign it now then Father?"
"Yes," Tywin replied instantly. "After you, Princess Ennella."
Elia nodded slightly, since her mother was, technically, of higher status than Lord Lannister, even though he was arguably the second most powerful man in the Seven Kingdoms, she would put her signature above his. Of course, the writing of the betrothal made it plain that it was House Martell offering concessions to the more powerful Lannisters to make this happen, but such was the nature of political etiquette.
Elia watched with slightly bated breath, her mind running in circles as her mother lifted the quill from the pot and signed both sheets of parchment. She felt her hand quiver slightly, unable to focus. There was no going back from this. This was the rest of her life being signed away.
Elia glanced over at the young boy she would end up being married to again, unable to keep the frown off her face, but fortunately, everyone was looking elsewhere as Lord Tywin picked up the pen and signed it. She saw the boy's lips open slightly as if to say something to his father, then shut quickly, thinking better of it.
"Princess Elia."
Elia turned to the Lord Lannister as he offered her the pen. She forced her hand to steady and her face into a smile as she reached down and signed the parchment, both of them, under her mother's flowing cursive and Lord Tywin's blocky script.
When she was done, she paused for a moment, glancing around.
"Callum still needs to sign, Elia." Her mother's voice rang in her ears, snapping her somewhat from her daze.
"Yes, right of course, here." She had to lean down slightly to offer the boy the quill, and he nodded up at her.
"Thank you," Callum said, taking the quill and signing the parchment. He looked so much more confident than she felt even though he had to stand up on his toes to do it. He let out a small breath as his neat cursive took its place beneath the other signatures. "It is done then."
"Yes." Lord Tywin nodded. "It is." He paused for a moment, looking between the two of them, then glancing up towards her mother.
"I think- it would probably be best to give the two of you some time to speak privately, now that you are betrothed." Her mother said, and Elia didn't feel well enough to protest at all. She probably shouldn't anyway, so as to not offend Lord Tywin. "We need to wait for the ink to dry at any rate."
"Ser Ilyn will chaperone," Tywin said shortly, nodding to the knight (that Elia hadn't even noticed!) standing at the door of the room. He turned back to her mother. "We should discuss the details of announcing this Betrothal to our vassals."
"Indeed." Princess Ennella nodded, and in a short moment, Elia was alone. Alone in a room with a boy she hardly knew and had no real desire for, but was going to marry in a few years and a creepy knight who didn't talk or move much at all.
She couldn't help it, she let out a sigh, walking over to one of the cushioned chairs on the side of the room by the window, Elia sat down and tried to gather her thoughts.
Two nights ago when her mother had asked her whether she would accept a betrothal to Callum should Jaime fall through, she had said yes. Now she wondered if that had been the right decision, she could see the political rationale, the reasoning. She accepted it even, it was good for House Martell, good for Dorne, but it wasn't good for Elia.
"You too huh?"
=======================
If you'd like to support my work, or get early access to chapters before public release you can join my P atreon
Link to join my p treon :
[email protected]/moonlight10