A/N: Hope you guys are feeling safe and healthy still. My home is still under quarantine, but sacrifices have to made for the greater good, which is the health of the general public. This will not last forever, so please do what you can to not feel so affected.
VISENYA X
Visenya slid off of Vhagar, but immediately put her hands on her belly to make sure that her child was all right. Her pregnancy was very obvious to all, as her tummy had protruded against her dragon coat, and she started to feel more movement from her babe. It was a sign of her babe becoming more active, and a sign of what kind of child he or she will be. I don't know about Jae, but I was pretty rambunctious as a girl. Muña and kepa might have had some struggle with keeping in control, but I look forward to running around with our son or daughter.
Almost immediately as she got off of Vhagar, she was met with Lord Marlon Umber. "Your Grace," he dipped his head.
"Lord Marlon, what progress have we on the siege?"
"So far, every route has been sealed off. There is no way that the Waynwoods can get reinforced now," Lord Umber walked with her.
"And the lake?" She remembered that Ironoaks was situated on a lack near the Eyrie and could thus be resupplied by boat.
"Maerys Tarareon was able to construct a few small but fast craft from the surplus wood that we were able to gather. That woman has an unbelievable gift when it comes to anything that can float on water," Umber was impressed.
Where was Maerys all my life? Visenya was also in awe of her skills as a sailor and shipwright. As much as she liked cousin Daemon, there were a few things where House Velaryon had found their match. If only she could ride a dragon…
"But?" Visenya sensed there was more.
"Your Grace, we have no way of knowing how much provisions they have in store and exactly how many men they have to garrison their castle."
"That's all right. With Maerys taking away any chance of resupply from the lake and us surrounding it, we have the advantage. More importantly, they still have yet to recover from their recent losses and Ironoaks was built on flat ground. Given time, we might be able to storm it," Visenya brushed off Lord Umber's concerns.
"If we storm it, Your Grace, we might suffer losses, losses that we can't afford to have until the rest of the army makes it through the mountains. And should our only way of resupply from the river is cut off, we might be in danger," Umber softly warned her.
"I'm sorry, Lord Marlon, but is this attitude that you have when you fought in the North?" Visenya turned to him. "This caution… is quite uncharacteristic for a house of your reputation."
"I might enjoy combat as the next man, Your Grace, but we don't have the advantage of numbers. These are not wildlings that we're fighting, but men who wear plate armor, are well-armed, and fighting for their homes. As someone who had to defend his keep against the wildlings, I know what kind of thinking that these Valemen have. We're the invaders and they're not going to stop attacking us until we're out," Marlon Umber explained.
Visenya nodded. "You have made good points, Lord Umber. But those concerns would only be valid if we intended to go straight for the Eyrie. That's not our purpose, for ours is to draw out as many of the enemy from their keeps so that we can fight in open battle and on ground of our choosing. So far, that's working."
Lord Umber exhaled. "I pray to the old gods that Queen Rhaenys hurries up with Lord Snow and the Mormont ladies, because we do need them now. And that her dragon recovers."
That was one of the fears Visenya had when she flew against Old Anchor. Originally, her plan was to fly Vhagar towards the seat of House Melcolm and burn all of the farms that surrounded the castle, which would force to march out for lack of food and keep the Valemen off balance since there really was no way to expect a dragon strike. But when word reached her that the enemy was able to procure a new weapon that could hurt a dragon, she began to worry very much. She was relieved that Rhaenys was unhurt, but Meraxes would need some time before her leg would heal.
Thankfully, she encountered no scorpion bolts at Old Anchor and was able to accomplish her objective. I guess those weapons would only be used in important places such as the Eyrie. We might need to rethink how we're going to take it.
Part of the new plan, which also mixed in her need for retribution with what happened to Meraxes and Rhaenys, was to become more aggressive. Procuring some horses from the parts of the Vale proper closest to their encampment, she sent out mounted parties to forage food, burn what they couldn't carry, and put pressure on the Vale knights by making them continue to fight without rest. Tired soldiers were less effective in battle and the effects of constant combat would gradually wear them down. Maerys' men and others rode out on horseback and did their duties, with their raids proving very successful.
If Visenya had to be honest, she also felt fatigue. Apart from the baby, she and her family had been in constant combat for several weeks straight, apart from the period of six moons that they spent resting and recuperating. She was also getting impatient from all of the fighting, but she knew that compared to what was at stake, it was an inconvenience. Anything for my family, and my future children.
Also, she wanted to return to Jaenyx's arms again, to feel his touch, to kiss his lips, and have his warmth in bed. When I see him again, I'm not going to wait. I will fuck his brains out before he thinks that also.
Settling back in her tent, she unbuckled Dark Sister and fell on her bed. She knew that she had matters to attend to, but she needed some respite. I just need a few hours. I love the babe, but he or she is draining all of the energy from me.
Before she could close her eyes, someone threw upon the flaps of her tent. "What is it?" she groaned, not happy that somebody had to gall to interrupt her beauty sleep.
"Your Grace," she heard Maerys Tarareon speak in High Valyrian. "One of our patrols came back, with prisoners."
"Have them work on the fortifications," Visenya wanted to go back to sleep.
"Please come with me. You'll know why I talked to you about the prisoners we got," Maerys urged.
"Duty calls," Visenya grunted. Tying Dark Sister to her waist again, she followed Maerys Tarareon near the edge of the camp. Going past the circle of her troops, she looked upon two young men in plate armor, one with the sigil of House Redfort and the other with the rune sigil of House Royce.
"Who are they?" Visenya asked Maerys in High Valyrian.
"Your Grace, may I present Eon Redfort, heir to the Redfort, and Mychel Royce, heir to Runestone," Maerys pointed to both of them.
Visenya's eyes widened. "Where did you find them?"
"One of our patrols engaged with a party that had thirty men. They were able to kill most of them and got some prisoners, including these two. How they were there in the first place is another matter," Maerys answered.
"I see. Tell whoever led that patrol that I shall reward them for such a feat. This may help us win here in the Vale." Maerys nodded while Visenya approached the theirs. "My lords, welcome to our camp."
"You must be Visenya Targaryen" Eon Redfort said.
"That is Princess to you, boy. Address her as 'Your Grace,'" Lord Umber barked.
"With respect, we don't know anyone with royal titles besides the ones that reside in the Eyrie," Mychel Royce answered while shooting a scolding look to Eon Redfort.
"That's fair, but you should understand that you are not on the right side of this war, Lord Mychel. Lord Belmore saw reason and thus, he suffered no losses," Visenya argued.
"If you win this war, I expect Lord Belmore to be richly rewarded. If you lose, then things will turn for the worse for Strongsong," Mychel Royce replied.
"Another good point. But we can discuss that later. As the heirs to two major houses, you will be treated with honor and respect. I invite the both of you to stay in our camp, where you will have appropriate accommodations. But I must ask you both to surrender your swords," Visenya pointed to the ground.
"Aye," Mychel Royce nodded to Eon Redfort, who both stuck their swords straight into the dirt.
Before they were taken to their own tents, both of which would be placed under heavy guard, Visenya took them to her own tent and poured them some wine. "I recently developed a liking to Lys white. You may not be used to it as Arbor gold or Dornish red, but it is quite… elegant, to say the least."
Mychel Royce and Eon Redfort courteously drank the wine, but they were nervous in her presence since it was clear that the both of them knew of her reputation. Good, as it should be.
"May I ask what is to be done with us? Will you hurt us with fire like you've done with Black Harren?" Eon Redfort asked.
Visenya laughed. "I can understand why you would think so. Anyone who bears arms against us will know what it is to be burned by dragons. But you forget a key fact. Black Harren couldn't control his son, Darvin Hoare, and he did nothing but support his son by sending armies against us. And my family knew that to keep him and his house alive was too dangerous, so we burned him, most of his house, and Harrenhal. Whereas you two are only following orders and no one can blame you for the faults of your queen regent, so I have no reason to kill you."
"But that's not all, is it?" Mychel Royce added his own question.
"No," Visenya nodded. "You are more useful alive, Lord Mychel. But you and Lord Eon will not be ransomed back to your families. Too much is at stake for my family to allow valuable prisoners to rejoin the fight against us."
"Then, what will you do?" Mychel inquired.
"Both Houses Redfort and Royce command a significant part of the Vale's strength. Especially for you, Lord Mychel. It can be said that without the support of your lord father, Sharra Arryn will be in a very tight bind regarding manpower and martial abilities." Mychel Royce remained silent. "Since the both of you carry the future of your houses on your shoulders, both of your lord fathers wouldn't risk their troops against me since you will be at risk."
"Do you really think that our fathers will open dialogues with you because you have us?" Eon Redfort put his wineglass down.
"Maybe not," Visenya admitted. "But the mere fact that you both are now under my control will make them more… controlled in their actions. At this point, men are valuable commodities and it wouldn't do me or my family any good if your fathers used all they had against me."
"Why are you telling us this?" Mychel Royce crossed his arms.
"Because… I don't believe that the both of you have any strong convictions when it came to Sharra Arryn's actions. She is not from the Vale, and yet she made decisions on the behalf of her son, King Ronnel. You must've felt that you were bound to follow the orders of an Arryn, even one that had to marry into it, despite your strong reservations," Visenya assessed.
"What makes you think that?" Mychel Royce blinked.
"Loyalty is a valued trait and something that needs to be seen more often, as I sometimes grow tired of how flexible people's beliefs can be," Visenya stated. "But in this case… wouldn't you say that Sharra Arryn went beyond her authority? War is not something to take lightly, and she contributed troops to the Starry Sept's call while neglecting her main obligation in ensuring that there is a kingdom for her son to inherit. And I'll tell you that she is not doing a good job of that, because we are here and we're doing damage on your armies and your lands."
"If you are going to offer us a chance to switch sides and fight for you, then please stop," Eon Redfort interrupted.
"Eon, please," Mychel pleaded.
"No, Mychel. I know what she's doing." The heir to the Redfort looked at Visenya straight in her eyes. "I will admit, we are not strong supporters of Queen Sharra. She might have given us a line in which to continue House Arryn's rule of the Vale, but she has a tendency to act on our behalf when she doesn't have the opinion of many of the other lords. However, we're not turncoats and to even think that would be against the vows we took as knights. Whereas you and your family seek to end chivalry and destroy everything that we hold dear. So, how can we ever contemplate fighting for you?"
Visenya sighed, somehow expecting at least one of the Valemen to show stubbornness. "First of all, Lord Eon, don't interrupt me again. That's very discourteous and allows misunderstandings to form. I would think that a knight like yourself would have a good understanding of respect." Eon shifted, not expecting Visenya to come back with that. "I never asked you to switch sides, but not for the reasons that you assume. Even though you're the heirs, you're quite frankly not important enough for me to deal with on important matters. Instead, I need you both to write messages to your fathers and telling them that I wish to parley. I made a promise to treat you both well and I shall keep it, which is a fact that I wish to be emphasized when you write to them."
"Why would they agree to talk with you? You are Visenya Targaryen Belaerys, the she-dragon and the wife of Jaenyx Belaerys," Mychel Royce pointed out.
"For the same reasons that I have stated to you just before." They haven't been paying attention. "Unlike yourselves, your fathers have something that I truly need and will be in a position to give them. Me giving you the treatment that is due to people of your rank and station is how I show them that I can be reasoned with. Which brings me to my next contention, Lord Eon." Visenya gave him a cold stare. "Now, I can't tell whether you truly believe what the Starry Sept has to say about us or if you have interests that rely on the elimination of the dragons. But you're wrong to think that I want to end everything that you hold dear. Even though I have much affinity for the ways of Old Valyria and still worship the Valyrian deities, I was born in Westeros and it is my home as much as it is yours. Everything that I understand of life and of power is from what I had witnessed during my twenty years here, and I do respect those who follow chivalry since it prevents certain men from becoming aimless."
Visenya saw that Mychel and Eon were listening closely. Keep going, Visenya.
"At the same time, you have to also believe that Westeros is in need for major change. The Seven Kingdoms constant warring with each other is unsustainable because people deeply desire peace, because war firstly affects those who don't have power. With one king and one queen over all of Westeros, there won't be any need for the violent squabbles between different rulers," Visenya continued. "There's also much potential in Westeros to advance further, but with the current structures in place, knowledge that can be used to better our peoples are condemned as heretical and thus suppressed. There is just too much stagnation and that has to end."
"And you believe that your family will bring about that change?" Eon was more skeptical than Mychel, who just continued to listen. Interesting…
"The forging of Valyrian steel, a secret that had been lost to the larger world after the Doom, had been brought back because of us," Visenya leaned forward. "We were able to turn a volcanic island into good farmland because of techniques lost to time. We were able to defeat armies larger than our own using a combination of dragons and strategies that most of Westeros had never seen before. I could go on listing what other achievements myself and my family have accomplished, but that would become repetitive. The point is that we already changed how we lived radically, and what we have to offer to Westeros can help improve the lives of many. But to say that we want to destroy everything is a lie said by those who fear us and cannot comprehend our talents."
"You speak very highly of yourself," Eon noted.
"Only because it's true. My sister, Queen Rhaenys, is a better talker than I am, but only because she's not as inclined to making other sorts of promises that involve hurting others," Visenya answered.
"And by hurting, you mean by fire?" Mychel already knew the answer, but he wanted to continue to engage with Visenya.
"Ask Black Harren. Ask the men who fought for King Argilac. Ask the others who died for the Starry Sept," she shrugged.
"But what if I was to say that we have a means to counter your dragons, something that already injured your sister's mount?" Eon posed.
"By countering, you mean kill. And in that regard, your weapon failed. And I have to wonder if that was a lucky shot, as it's quite hard to even score a hit with a weapon of large size?" Visenya asked back.
"Why would you think it's a lucky shot?"
"For the same reasons that it's hard to hit your target with a catapult and trebuchet, since there is no guarantee that it will end up where you want to hit," Visenya pointed out. "And I can tell that your weapon was used out of desperation, which doesn't exactly reflect positively on its reputation because new weapons rushed into battle don't work towards its intended purpose with consistence."
Eon and Mychel glanced at each other, which was all Visenya needed.
"So, you see, my lords, you really don't have anything that can work against us, but I will admit that the introduction of your new weapon has given us more strategy to stay with our present strategy," Visenya finished.
"If that is the case, why haven't you flown to the Eyrie? With your dragon, you can burn our king and Queen Sharra to ashes without much of a struggle," Mychel asked.
"Because we want to show you all the power of the dragons, but also giving you plenty of opportunities to join us. If we wanted to, we would have burned everyone that opposed us and also give credence that the dragons are beasts. And because I even stooped to talk to you both, that should be proof of our intentions. If not, I really do hope that you depart painlessly," Visenya gave them both a soft warning, which even they quickly understood.
Visenya had prepared for the entourage from Runestone to arrive at her camp. After dispatching Maerys' men to sail to the seat of House Royce and bring back Lord Royce once he responded to the message written in his son's hand, she made all the necessary preparations.
The most sensible thing in this situation would have been to fly directly to Runestone and engage with Lord Royce there. However, she needed to be present for the rest of the Ironoaks siege and direct all efforts to either have Lord Waynwood surrender or take the castle by assault. What's more, to have the head of House Royce come to her camp in full sight of the Waynwoods will cause them to ask questions and if possible, spread doubt. She had deployed Tarareon archers to kill any ravens that might be sent to and from Ironoaks, so whatever concerns that Lord Royce had in being discovered would be put to rest.
However, Visenya was not naïve to believe that the simple treatment of Mychel Royce would be enough to persuade the Lord of Runestone to at least consider joining her. Jaenyx had informed her that Weslar Reyne had switched to their side in secret, but he had asked a hefty price to be paid in return for his loyalty. She was concerned that Lord Royce might ask for a similar deal because it was probably the only logical term that he would ask but would put her in a bind. Even if he does support us, I can't just promise that we will make him lord over all of the Vale, if he asks that.
"Your Grace, ship sighted! It has the horseman sigil of the Tarareons!" one of her troops called out.
They're back. Visenya stood straighter as Lord Umber, the Celtigars, and the others awaited their guest.
She watched as a grizzled man stepped off the plank and walked towards her. He was dressed in plate armor underneath a linen cloak, both of them inscribed with First Men runes. Well, the Royces practice what they preach.
The man stopped in front of Visenya, eyeing her up and down. Only now did she notice how tall he was, but size did not matter as she learned.
"You must be Visenya Targaryen Belaerys," the man began.
"And who might you be?" Visenya asked.
"I am Symond Royce, Lord of Runestone and head of my house. Where is my son?"
"I will bring you to him, my lord. But do not forget to address with me with respect. You might be older than me, but age is no indication of either wisdom or strength. You only have to ask Black Harren that, a wretched old man to the end," Visenya made clear to him.
"With respect, Princess, I cannot refer to you as 'Your Grace' because I am not bound to you by oath. I want to see my son. Only afterwards could we begin our dialogue."
"Didn't know Royces could so insolent," Lord Marlon blurted out.
"Which doesn't say much about you, Lord Umber. I wonder if you extend the same courtesy to those poor wildlings near the Wall."
Lord Umber scoffed, but Visenya put a stop to it. "My lords, we are not here to trade insults. Very well, I'll take you to Lord Mychel. If you will follow me."
Walking through the camp, Visenya led him to Mychel's tent. Upon seeing his son alive and unspoiled, Symond Royce embraced his son warmly. They asked each other the questions that would usually be asked between family, whether it be health or other normal topics. It took a moment before they remembered where they were, and Lord Symond turned back to Visenya.
"I must thank you, Princess, for taking care of my son. Family is a very precious thing and it would have pained my heart had he been harmed," Symond said to her.
"I completely agree with, Lord Symond. I myself will become a mother soon and I understand how valuable family is. I would never wish ill treatment on another's child, unless of course they threaten mine," Visenya responded.
"I'm going to talk to her and see if we can get you home," Symond turned back to Mychel.
"Please do so," Mychel nodded. "But please also understand that I am no coward. I didn't surrender."
"I know you, my son. You would never do that," Symond reassured him before turning around. "All right. Let us talk."
"Excellent," Visenya gestured for Lord Symond to follow her back to her tent.
After he was seated, she held up the wine pitcher. "May I offer you some Lys white?"
"I prefer hippocras, if you have it," Lord Symond told her. "Sharra Arryn offered me a flagon from the stash she brought from the Marches and that's the wine that I would choose over others."
Hippocras… at least he has his own tastes besides the Arbor gold everyone obsesses over. "I'm afraid I don't have hippocras, my lord. Perhaps another time, if the gods allow it."
"If they allow it." Visenya poured herself some Lys white and sipped her wineglass. "Is that wise, Princess, to drink wine when you are so pregnant?"
"I've had a long few weeks, Lord Symond. I'm very sure that my child wouldn't mind if I allowed this lapse just once, but thank you for your concern," Visenya cleared her throat. "I assume you had some time to think over the message that your son sent you."
"Yes, I read the terms that came from you. His safety and return for either my neutrality or support in your cause," Lord Symond remembered. "As much as I love Mychel, you're asking very much while offering little."
"Hmmm," Visenya nodded her head in thought. "How well do you know the Melcolms?"
"Well enough, and yes, I have heard about how you burned their farmlands. Is this the part where you threaten me with a similar fate if I don't join you?" Symond asked presumably.
"As I said to your son, do not interrupt me, for that will lead to dangerous assumptions," Visenya warned him. "And I only mentioned the Melcolms because I wanted to prove a point. If I really had intentions of wiping House Melcolm and other houses in this kingdom, I would have gone straight for the castle. But I didn't, and that should show you just who are you dealing with. I, as well as my family, might have come to conquer, but we will not engage in malicious violence. Also, I might have been obliged to treat your son with decency, but I could have easily made his situation more difficult if I wanted to."
Symond sighed, conceding her point.
"With that established, can we proceed with the negotiations? I feel as if we're just continuing to state the obvious," Visenya didn't want to talk longer than was necessary.
"All right. I can only go as far as not taking any further part in Queen Sharra's war, but I need more than my son's safety for that to happen."
"And what is it you seek from me? Protection?"
"Even if I give any indication that I will not commit my troops to the field in support of the Queen Regent, I will be putting my family at risk. I am too powerful to not take sides as you can understand."
"I understand," Visenya bobbed her head. "But I urge you to be explicit in what you want from me."
"If the other houses move against me, I need you to protect Runestone and the lands around it with your dragon. You showed at Old Anchor that you can strike anywhere, so you can surely protect me."
"For that to happen, I will need something else from you. I need you to contact the Hunters at Longbow Hall and relay to me their intentions. Will they move against me, will they stay neutral? I also need you to contact the Upcliffs and make the same inquiries. As for the Redforts, I intend for Lord Redfort to come here and negotiate for his son's life, just like you are," Visenya explained.
"Those houses that you listed… curious that you haven't mentioned any houses that came from when the Andals defeated us at the Battle of the Seven Stars," Lord Symond observed.
"At this point, my family cannot trust the same people that brought the Faith to Westeros in the first place, since we are fighting them. I would expect that a house that used to produce kings would have some resentment against them."
Lord Symond swallowed. "Those times are long past."
"And that means you won't try to reclaim what was lost? You're going to forget that your ancestor died because Artys Arryn took what belonged to your family?"
"My ancestors have made my peace with the Arryns as kings. That's not going to change with me."
"I am not so sure about that. Your son and Lord Eon Redfort told me some very interesting things about what they felt towards Sharra Arryn. Who wouldn't have them, considering that Queen Sharra is an outsider?"
"The same could be said about you. After all, your family only came to Westeros over a century ago."
"Maybe, but outsiders among the mountains is probably not a welcome occurrence. Moreover, she acted beyond her sanctions as the regent for her son by taking the Valemen to war when we didn't threaten you."
"That's not the reasoning that she gave."
But Visenya could see that he was merely arguing for the negative. "And what did she say? That we're abominations? That it would be a matter of time before we came after you?" Lord Symond remained silent. "Those reasons would have only have basis in fact if we intended to conquer, but we didn't declare ourselves royals until after the Faith's troops attacked us. So, who's to blame in that regard?" Visenya leaned closer to Lord Symond. "There is no doubt that the Gardeners and the Lannisters will pay for their transgressions against us, particularly King Loren for the harm he inflicted upon our brother. Regarding the Arryns, it'll be a bit trickier since we can say that Queen Sharra acted outside of her obligations and thus did not act on House Arryn's behalf."
"What does this have to do with me?"
"You willing to go down with Sharra Arryn because of her mistakes?" Visenya put forward. "Anyone who stands against us will be punished and they might see their lands and titles taken away. I won't discuss the positive results of you siding with us because I have enough respect for your intellect, but I will reveal what will happen to those that persist in opposing our family. Take for example Oldtown."
Lord Symond blinked, not expecting Visenya to talk about the center of the Faith. He doesn't know what's coming.
"We will encircle that city, order our troops to show no mercy to everyone there, and we will tear down everything that the Faith holds dear. Meanwhile, we will burn every one of their towers, destroy their walls, their bridges, their ships, maybe even that tower they take so much pride in. And given the strong attachments that the High Septon has to his seven gods, we will burn him and anyone who served him directly, for it was them that drafted the declaration of war against us," Visenya outlined.
"You sure that's a wise course of action? Those who follow the Faith will be in an uproar and might rebel against you to no end," Lord Symond stated.
"By that time, I assure you that most of our enemies are finished and that the fall of Oldtown will be what we need to show the rest of this continent who is superior. Question I have to leave you to answer is whether or not you want to commit your efforts against us. If not for more land or coin, then think about your own survival. You're fortunate that Artys Arryn allowed the Bronze King to live and become his bannermen, but what could've happened had King Artys not have been so lenient?" Visenya challenged.
From his eyes, Visenya could see that Lord Symond wavered. It was obvious that like his son, the Lord of Runestone had no love for Sharra Arryn but was conflicted in his oaths to the Eyrie. She couldn't tell if Lord Symond was pious to the Seven, but he was not close-minded as to ignore sound advice, and warnings.
"I'll have you think more on it. Right now, I have a siege to return to." Visenya got up and left her tent, leaving Lord Symond to his thoughts.
Climbing on top of Vhagar, she eyed Ironoaks' highest tower. "Maerys, we don't have time for this," she spoke to the Tarareon woman in High Valyrian. "I'm thinking about scaring them into surrender. Should I go for the ramparts or the tower?"
"I'd go for the second highest tower. You need whoever runs that castle alive to surrender, but you have to put so much fear that they see that further resistance is futile," Maerys pointed.
"Got it. But if they are being obstinate, tell Lord Marlon to prepare for the assault. Sōvēs!"
Visenya flew Vhagar higher into the air before dipping her nose downwards. Coming close to the castle, she shouted, "Dracarys!" Orange flame left Vhagar's mouth, her force not coming close to Balerion's but enough to engulf the second tower in flames.
Circling around Ironoaks, all Visenya could think is, Come on. Don't delay. Don't be like Black Harren.
After a few more revolutions around Ironoaks, she saw a white flag raise above the gatehouse. Cheers could be heard from the camp as the troops approached the still intact castle, to disarm the garrison.
But Visenya remembered to be careful in using Vhagar only at critical points. She personally didn't like sieges, but she was not rash in brushing them aside. It could've gone bad, especially if they had a scorpion. Don't do it again, she thought to herself.
For now, she would look forward to enjoying real accommodations inside a castle and then moving to the next step. Once Ironoaks is fully secure, Sharra Arryn will have to choose which to concentrate her forces: against me or against Rhae.
A/N: In this chapter, I wanted to show the difference between Visenya's and Rhaenys' negotiating style. While Rhaenys places more emphasis on benefits, Visenya is more inclined to promise violence (more stick than carrot). I also wanted to show another part of the development of our dragon women: Rhaenys becoming more able in combat while Visenya is developing her diplomatic skills.
Lord Royce is certainly in a bind, but he better make the right decision if he wants to benefit. Plus, Sharra Arryn overreached herself and the cracks are showing in the Vale, which could turn lethal since in canon, it's not noted that she had a strong power base in the Vale.
With Ironoaks secured, the Vale lords and Sharra really have to deal with the dragon threat to their lands. At the same time, Visenya is displaying caution, as she and the others cannot just rely on the dragons for all of their quandaries.
Next, we see more conflict further south.