Only then did Liu Qian understand.
Anders's eldest daughter, Ynys, later married Rohanne Allyrion, the heir to Godsgrace.
As Liu Qian remembered it, Quentyn was deeply enamored with Ynys and had even brooded over her marrying and having children.
But this Rohanne Allyrion was no young man. He was probably even older than Anders, since Rohanne had a famous bastard son who was already grown: Daemon Sand.
That bastard had climbed into Princess Arianne's bed at fourteen.
Anders had married his daughter to an older man simply to consolidate his house's position in Dorne.
He even wanted to marry his youngest daughter, Gwyneth, to "Quentyn" to bind his house more closely to the Martells.
Ironically, the prospective bridegroom in his carefully planned marriage alliance might not even be who he claimed to be.
"As for the ransom."
Liu Qian waved a hand, his tone brooking no argument. "Before long, I will make an announcement to all the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms at once. Rest assured, Lord Anders,
"I won't keep you waiting too long. For now, please enjoy the food."
At that, Anders sighed and could only lower his head and eat.
Watching Lord Anders finally lose restraint and begin wolfing down the fattened goose and bread, Liu Qian's lips curved into a meaningful smile.
Not long after Lord Anders finished eating and was taken away, the door opened again.
This time, the man escorted in by the Dragon Spirit Guardians was Yohn Royce, "Bronze Yohn," Lord of Runestone in the Vale and commander of the Vale army on this expedition.
House Royce was the second-greatest power in the Vale, behind only House Arryn. Its importance went without saying.
Though Yohn Royce's hair had turned gray and the years had carved wrinkles into his face, his gray eyes remained