Game of Thrones Season 6: The Last Time We Saw The Martells…
There are now less that 20 days until the Game of Thrones Season 6 premiere, and to bring an end to our great Houses of Westeros primer, we are going to catch up on the unbowed, unbent, and unbroken House of Martell.
However, before we begin, let me remind you which Houses we’ve previously covered:
Seven great Houses of Westeros have been at war since Ned Stark’s head rolled down the steps of the Great Sept of Baelor. Today, we will discuss the eighth and final house to be brought into this war (reluctantly, I might add). The Prince of Dorne, Doran Martell, is known for his patience willingness to let the other pieces on the chessboard remove themselves before striking like an adder from the shadows under a rock, but recent events may have forced his hand.
In Game of Thrones Season 2, Tyrion Lannister, then acting as Hand of the King, sent his niece Myrcella to Dorne. He intended to marry her to Prince Trystane Martell, Doran’s son, as a show of good faith. Thus allied, Dorne’s armies would hopefully come to the aid of House Lannister should it need them…but Tyrion didn’t count on just how deep the Martells’ hatred for the Lannisters went.
In Season 4, Prince Oberyn Martell arrived in King’s Landing to take his brother Doran’s seat on the Small Council, since Doran was suffering from gout and could not travel. Oberyn’s ultimate goal was to kill the men who had murdered his sister Elia—both the man who did the deed, Gregor “the Mountain” Clegane, and the man who gave the order, Tywin Lannister—and make them pay. Oberyn nearly managed to kill Clegane in a trial by combat, but his hubris got the better of him, and the Mountain overpowered the much smaller Dornishman and smashed his face in, much to the horror of his paramour, Ellaria.
Enter Season 5, and Ellaria in on a path of vengeance. Enlisting the aid of three of Oberyn’s eight bastard daughters—Nymeria, Obara, and Tyene Sand—Ellaria hatched a plan to kidnap and murder Princess Myrcella, who was under the protection of Prince Doran and in love with Prince Trystane. However, Jamie Lannister and Bronn made their way to the Water Gardens, where Mrycella was residing, and thwarted the plan, saving Myrcella from certain death as well as a war with the Lannisters.
Finally, after being chastised by Prince Doran, Ellaria seemed to accept her place by his side, and the Sand Snakes seemed cowed. Doran planned to send Mrycella back to King’s Landing alongside Prince Trystane. However, when the Martells said their farewells to the Lannisters at the docks in Dorne, Ellaria gave Myrcella a kiss, and as soon as the ship cast off and began it’s way home, Myrcella collapsed into her father’s arms and died.
Ellaria and the Sand Snakes got the revenge, and Season 6 will presumably show us the fallout. Must Dorne go to war with King’s Landing? Will Doran execute Ellaria and the Sand Snakes as he threatened? Or was he, as some have suggested, in on the plan the whole time? Allow me to insert my favorite passage from Doran Martell from A Song of Ice and Fire, when he finally reveals to his daughter his plans to ally with Daenerys Targaryen once she lands on the shores of Westeros:
"“Vengeance.” His voice was soft, as if he were afraid that someone might be listening. “Justice.” Prince Doran pressed the onyx dragon into her palm with his swollen, gouty fingers, and whispered, “Fire and blood.”"
I firmly believe that Game of Thrones Season 6 will set Dorne up for an alliance with Daenerys…and make no mistake, she must come to Westeros very soon. And what are the words of House Targaryen? Fire and Blood.