The five most interesting characters from Fire & Blood

Princess Meria Martell

When Aegon the Conqueror and his sister wives Visenya and Rhaenys conquered the Seven Kingdoms, they could not bend Dorne to their will. The main reason for this was Princess Meria Martell, who at the time of Aegon’s conquest was 80 years old, fat, balding and blind. Still, she led her countrymen in resisting Targaryen rule, and succeeded where every other kingdom failed.

After Aegon had conquered the other kingdoms of Westeros, he sent his sister Rhaenys to parlay with Princess Meria. But the peaceful negotiations?quickly turned hostile when Meria stood her ground. “I will not fight you, nor will I kneel to you,”?she said.?”Dorne?has no king. Tell?your brother?that.”

Rhaenys: “I shall, but we will come again,?Princess, and?the next time?we shall come with?fire and blood.”

Meria:?”Your words. Ours are?Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken. You may burn us, my lady … but you will not bend us, break us, or make us bow. This is Dorne.?You are not wanted here. Return at your peril.”

Rhaenys did not heed Meria’s words, and when she returned with her brother and sister upon their dragons, they did indeed bring fire and blood to Dorne…only, there were no lords to capture or kill, and Princess Meria had all but disappeared.

When Aegon saw that the ruler of Dorne and her?bannermen had abandoned their castles, he proclaimed that Dorne was now under his rule, and installed?Lord Jon Rosby as the castellan and?Warden of the Sands. As soon as the dragons flew away, the Dornishmen swarmed back into their castles and expelled the men Aegon had placed there.

When Princess Meria returned to Sunspear, the blind and elderly ruler of Dorne personally threw Lord Rosby out of a window at the top of the Spear Tower. To say this woman was a badass would be a gross understatement.

Rhaenys Targaryen returned on her dragon, hoping to catch Princess Meria before she could hide herself away. But when she flew over the castle of Hellholt, a Dornish soldier fired a scorpion bolt at?Meraxes, hitting the dragon in the eye and killing it. Queen Rhaenys perished with her dragon, making Dorne the first kingdom to successfully resist Targaryen rule and kill a dragon.

Under Princess Meria, Dorne continued to resist House Targaryen, but when she died of natural causes 13 years after the conquest, her son immediately began negotiations for peace. Princess Meria stayed true to her House’s words. She never bowed, she did not bend, and Dorne was never broken while she still lived.