In King’s Landing, the news of the king’s victory after the Dornishmen attempted their night raid against his siege was well-received. It has become a ritual at the court, to gather in the Great Keep through much of the day, waiting for news to arrive drip by drip, carried on ravens’ wings. And yet, though the news was happy for most—a few knights of note were killed on the king’s side, it’s true, including Ser Yonel Storm of the City Watch—it was not for those Dornish present. The news of Prince Rhodry’s probable death, and the fall of Ser Elric, the Shade of Ghost Hill, troubled them.
But a separate item of news arrived, as everyone was gathered around the herald. It was delivered to the Braavosi merchant-lord, Donalo Prestayn, still negotiating the marriage of the Sealord of Braavos to Princess Rhaena ahead of what was previously agreed. Those negotiations would come to an end, however, with this news: the Sealord, Ferro Antaryon, the Lion of Braavos, had been dead for three weeks.
Later, news would escape the small council, providing more details. The Sealord had departed Braavos with a fleet to intercept a fleet sailing from Tyrosh to Pentos ... only to be found dead in his bed the next morning. The Braavosi fleet turned tail and ran home again, to bear the Sealord’s body back to his people. One ship, the swiftest in the Arsenal, was sent to King’s Landing to inform Donalo. The emissary made preparations to immediately return to Braavos, to take part in the election among the great merchants of Braavos to choose a new Sealord, as is the custom there.
And the alliance with Braavos, what of that? It bore fruit when the Sealord sent ships with 1,500 trained crossbowmen and their supplies to join the king in Dorne, but with Ferro dead, what will his successor do?