A moon after the formation of the Naath legion, and the betrothal of Prince Aelyx Nefaeryon to Desmera Redwyne, the first batch of the finest silk was brought by the sky riders to Dragonport.
The silk traders of the city were invited to inspect the silk and authenticate it, and then they were auctioned off by the city management, which set a new base price for the Naathi silk in the market.
As a good gesture, Azaerys and Rhaenys gifted a lot of silk to Desmera and her family and even gifted beautiful sets of dresses to Alerie Hightower and Mina Tyrell.
Aegon spent almost all his day in the company of Myrmadora, Desmera, and now Alla and Elinor, who had been assigned by Olenna as her granddaughter's handmaidens.
The prince's behaviour was something that Rhaenys disapproved of, but since Azaerys did not say anything, she kept quiet.
However, she never forgot to remind Aegon who he was and what was expected of him, and the prince tried his best to not give her any reason to be mad at him.
He studied and trained hard, but unlike Rhaemon, did not have any interest in touring the city and challenging different knights to a duel.
The Zaelystar even challenged Ser Garlan Tyrell, and seeing how good the knight was with the sword, he decided to find him every day.
Garlan did not seem to mind it. In fact, he quite enjoyed helping train the young prince, whose talent with the sword had amazed him.
On the same day when Willas Tyrell woke up from his deep sleep in the Pyramid of Life, which the common folk called the Pyramid of Medicine, Oberyn Martell and his paramour, as well as his niece, Arianne Martell, arrived at Dragonport.
The Martell queen had been missing her husband too much, and now that Maelor and Maena had been completely weaned off her milk, she left them in the family's care and rushed to see Azaerys.
She arrived at noon, landed on the Pyramid of Pride on her hippogriff, and jumped into the arms of her beloved.
For the entire afternoon and until late in the evening, she tossed in the silk sheets with the king, tending to his and her own needs.
At night, after a bath, Azaerys dressed her into a dark green silk gown, a golden and jewelled girdle, and to her immense glee, placed a beautiful tiara of dragonbone, gold, and emeralds on her head.
Since it was made of dragonbone, it was very comfortable and light, and when she looked into the mirror, she leaned back into her husband's chest and cutely looked up at him.
Arianne sometimes loved it that she was short, just slightly over five feet and two inches, because Azaerys was tall and broad, over six feet and six inches, without shoes on, and looking into the mirror, she always found their union very cute.
It made her feel like she was his little princess...
"I love you, my king." She sweetly said, and her eyes turned a little misty as she stared at him.
"I know, my beloved, my queen, the mother of my children, the fire of my loins." He smiled and leaned in to plant a kiss on her head, and his words made her giggle.
"Do we have to attend the dinner, Your Grace?" She mischievously asked and turned around to hug his waist.
Arianne rested her chin on his chest and suggestively looked up at him, making her intentions clear. She could never have enough of him. She knew it.
"Don't you want to meet your uncle?" He smiled at her. "Your mother has come with him to meet you as well."
The Martell queen froze at his words, and he wrapped his arms around her, comforting her.
"I know you have been terribly missing her."
"Thank you, Azer." She wiped away her tears and smiled at him.
"Come. We have Redwynes and Tyrells at dinner as well, so, be strong."
She obediently nodded to him and then took his arm as they left the room.
Rhaenys, Myrmadora, Aegon, and Rhaemon were already at the table with the guests, and they stood up when the guards opened the golden door and started tapping the hilts of their spears.
Everyone else stood up as well and bowed to Azaerys and Arianne, and the latter beamed a smile at her mother, Mellario, when the lady stepped away from the table and looked at her with misty eyes.
The queen could not stop herself and rushed into her mother's embrace, and then greeted her uncle and his paramour, Ellaria, and her cute little brother, Trystane, whom she had last seen when her mother had given birth to him.
She pulled his cheeks hard, which frightened the boy, and her uncle laughed at her antics.
Finally, Arianne returned to her husband's side and sat on his left whilst Rhaenys sat on his right.
"I heard you went to see Lord Willas, Prince Oberyn." The king lightly said as the maid plated some meat for him, starting an awkward conversation at the table.
"Of course. Despite what Lady Olenna might believe, we get along just fine. He knows I had no ill intentions and it was just an accident." The prince smirked at the Queen of Thorns, who did not even look at him.
"It's hard to believe that a fighter as exceptional as you didn't know what he was doing." She said, and Oberyn chuckled at her evaluation of him.
"I was not sober during the joust. Your grandson was too green to enter the tourney. Maybe your son should have been wiser and not forced him..."
"And maybe you should have taken it easier on the boy whom you considered green."
Oberyn sighed before he raised his cup of wine and stood up.
"I, hereby, offer my apologies to House Tyrell for accidentally harming the heir of Highgarden. It was an accident, and I never bore Willas any ill will. May he recover fast and grow strong enough to throw me off my horse."
Olenna snorted at his words, but Ser Garlan stood up and accepted the apology of the Dornish prince, sharing a cup of wine with him.
Now that Willas was going to be fine, there was no need for these hostilities.
"Alright, fine. The matter is beyond us now," the old woman finally relented, and Oberyn took his seat and engaged Garlan in a conversation.
Everyone was happily chatting with each other when the Gallant Knight suddenly said something that caught their attention.
"I have never seen a boy who bears more talent with the sword than Prince Rhaemon. He even makes me envious." Garlan gave high praise, which made the young prince blush a little.
"You praise me too highly, Ser Garlan. My talent pales in comparison to my sister, Rhae, and my brother, Azer." He humbly said and smiled. "But I thank you for giving me more confidence in my ability."
"I have never seen or sparred against Her Grace and His Grace, so how can I know how good they are?" The man smiled and glanced at Rhaenys and Azaerys, who did not seem to care about the conversation at all. "I will take your word for it though, but you really shouldn't think less of yourself even if you believe that someone is better. Only those who strive to be the best can better people. They can even better those who were once more talented than them."
His words were not just for Rhaemon, but also for his little brother, Loras, who was frowning after the praise that Garlan had showered on the prince.
"The ser speaks the truth, but you must remember that without talent and good health, you have no hope even if you strive to be the best." Oberyn smiled. "It's always a contest between the talented and the more talented."
"Some say that my brother is the finest swordsman in Westeros, Prince Oberyn. I wonder what you have to say about it." The sweet-mouthed Margaery, only a girl of twelve, but confident, smiled at the Dornish prince.
Her eyes drifted to the Summer King before she controlled her gaze and sipped on her juice.
"He's one of the finest, certainly. The finest? I am sure old Barristan will still find a way to beat him. His experience is unmatched." Oberyn expressed his thoughts. "Then there is old Royce."
"There's no finer swordsman in the Seven Kingdoms than Ser Jaime Lannister. Not even old Lord Royce and Ser Barristan Selmy can match him in a fair fight."
Everyone turned to look at Azaerys, who was calmly cutting into the roasted lamb.
"And how do you compare to Ser Jaime Lannister, Your Grace?" Margaery subconsciously asked, and her heart started racing as she waited for an answer.
"If I and Ser Jaime Lannister fight to the death in a fair duel, I will always come out alive." He smiled a little. "However, I don't wish to fight him in more than a friendly spar."
"Why not?"
"It will be painful for the both of us." He chuckled and met the girl's eyes, who blushed and nodded her head.
"Is there a better swordsman than you in the world, Your Grace?" Garlan asked with a smile, and Azaerys, to his surprise, nodded his head.
"Yes. There is one who can match me, and who is slightly better than me."
"Who?"
"He's the blood of my blood. My kingsguard. We call him the Dragonknight."
"A cousin?"
"Yes." He smiled.
"He's not in Dragonport. Is he?" Garlan was itching for a good spar.
"No. He is not here. He's protecting my family and keeping his wife company."
"A kingsguard with a wife?" Margaery surprisedly looked at him.
"We have our own laws, Lady Margaery. Our kingsguard can hold no land, no lordship, and whom they marry is their king's will. They serve as a consort to their wife, and the children carry their mother's family name," Rhaemon informed her.
"Wouldn't having a family distract them from their duty as a kingsguard?"
"They are people with emotions and physical needs. I don't think it's right to keep people around you who are fighting wars in their heads. And those who break their vows..." Azaerys meaningfully said. "Do you really believe that all maesters and the brothers of the Night's Watch lead a life of celibacy? That they don't sire children when under their vows?" Margaery shook her head. "It's the same for the kingsguard."
She still did not seem convinced.
"You have met Ser Boros, right? He is married and has several children. He will gladly lay his life to protect me just like any of my kingsguard would. And we don't even have a familial relationship." He smiled. "Those who are loyal, remain loyal, regardless of whether they have families or not. What's the difference between kingsguard vows and the Night's Watch vows? There's no difference when it comes to things you have to give up. So, if the Night's Watch is an honourable order, why are the worst of criminals sent there as a form of punishment?"
His words made her think.
"Kingsguard is supposed to be an order of honour, not an order of punishment. It's the order the king trusts his and his family's lives with. So, he must show some sincerity to them as well. A life-long vow of service to protect their king and his family, to bear no lands, no lordships, having no children of their name is enough. Making people take vows of celibacy, denying them the warmth of a woman's touch, and depriving them of the right of legacy, is a very cruel punishment. Most end up breaking those vows anyway." He smiled.
She nodded her head and then raised a question that amused him a lot.
"In your eyes, is Ser Barristan the Bold an honourable and loyal man?"
"No. He is not someone I would take in my kingsguard."
The Tyrells and the Redwynes looked at him in surprise, but Oberyn already knew what his answer was.
"Why?" Margaery asked with a smile.
"Why would I trust someone in my kingsguard who would join the kingsguard of a usurper after my death? He's serving someone who killed his crown prince, a usurper whose first order on the throne was to kill the Targaryen children. To kill them all. The very children Ser Barristan Selmy swore to protect. Any loyal and honourable Targaryen Kingsguard in my eyes would have chosen death or the Night's Watch over serving as Robert Baratheon's kingsguard."
"I have always felt the same way about him and Ser Jaime." The girl said and giggled, but quietened when her grandmother narrowed her eyes at her.
"Eat light, Ser Garlan. We will be having a spar after the meal."
As soon as the knight heard his words, he beamed a smile.
"Yes, Your Grace."
Since there were a lot of kids at the table, it was not a surprise that there was a lot of chit-chat.
Arianne joined in their conversations as well, and only Rhaenys and Azaerys seldom spoke for the rest of their meal.
After they finished eating, the king instructed a golden guard to find Ser Garlan Tyrell an armour.
An hour later, when he arrived at the training field inside the pyramid, the knight was waiting for him there, wearing a light armour.
All their guests were sitting around on the steps, excitedly waiting for the duel, and a lot of them were curious when they saw that the Summer King was not wearing any armour.
He was only wearing a black shirt, a purple silk sash, black pants, and boots, and even his sword was on Rhaenys' waist, on the other side of her own sword.
Azaerys chose to take a golden guard's two-handed longsword and stepped into the field to face the Gallant Knight.
"Why not a sword you are familiar with, Your Grace?"
"I do not wish to intimidate you with the Valyrian steel, Ser Garlan." He smiled when the knight's eyes widened in surprise.
"I see."
Even though Azaerys was not wearing any armour, seeing him holding a sword in his hand somehow tensed the nerves of the Tyrell.
The duel began as both of them tested each other, staying light and nimble on their feet, and the Summer King took charge first as he unleashed a relentless assault, the clash of steel ringing sharply in the enclosed space.
Garlan was experienced, unquestionably one of the finest of the Seven Kingdoms, and he defended well. However, there was no curiosity in his expression anymore but seriousness as he had realised that his opponent had not been bragging about his sword skills.
The knight took the charge next, but Azaerys made it seem very effortless when he defended, and soon, it was Garlan who was retreating again.
Suddenly, the sword in his hands was deflected so far away that it left his side open, and Azaerys tackled him, sending him stumbling on his feet, the impact jarring through his bones with a dull thud.
"Be serious, Ser Garlan. A swordsman must never make such an error." The Summer King smiled and waited for him to get ready again.
Garlan grinned and charged forward, but the result was the same. He was pushed back and even received a painful elbow in his side, which made him wince, the bruise blooming with a sharp sting.
"I am quicker than you. So think. Think of a way." Azaerys encouraged the knight, who charged forward again, but this time with caution and a much clearer head.
Having never fought against someone so good before, Garlan's excitement knew no bounds.
He truly was a battle manic once his mind was focused on the fight, and despite being pushed away multiple times, getting dropped on his ass, and getting many bruises on his body, he kept fighting.
It was not until he was exhausted and lay flat on his back that he gave up. Even then, an excited grin remained on his face.
"Thank you, Your Grace." There was an unmistakable admiration in his voice now, and after he gathered himself up on his feet, he deeply bowed, acknowledging the Summer King as a better swordsman than him.
"You are not bad, Ser Garlan." Azaerys playfully said and then glanced at Oberyn, who had already picked up a spear from a golden guard.
"It's been a while, Your Grace. Allow me to test myself against you." The Dornish prince requested, and the Summer King smiled and signalled to the golden guard to take back his sword and hand him the spear.
The boys and even the girls intently watched the battle, which was not a spar at all.
It was almost like the Dornish prince and the Summer King were hell-bent on taking each other's life.
Garlan felt chills run up his spine when he realised that someone like him would have easily been slain by either of the two who were engaged in a deadly duel.
The fire that had calmed down a lot in the last year and a half burned brightly again, and the knight now only wanted to improve himself. It was a seed of an obsession.
When Oberyn finally lost the spear in his hand and was put flat on his back, those who had been holding their breath finally breathed and the kids loudly cheered, the sound echoing off the pyramid walls like triumphant echoes.
It was so much more fun than watching any tourney.
Azaerys helped the Dornish prince back on his feet and they shared a hug. Both laughed, complimented each other, and then returned the spears to their respective owners.
Garlan joined the two as they went to freshen up and eat some more as they were hungry again, and after sharing some cups of wine, the guests took their leave.
For the rest of the night, the Summer King fought another battle in his room with his Martell queen, and as a result, she did not wake up until late in the afternoon.