This chapter has not been beta-read.

The Chronicles of Valyria,

Book 1 Resurrection

Chapter 35

The Battle for Meereen, part one

The first part of their plan went surprisingly smooth. As Oberyn slipped away in the slums of Meereen, he thought about how it had went. He and a random chosen number of 571 Yunkish Forlorn had ridden hard for the city and dismounted before entering the canyon. They ran the last miles to the gates, through the fields outside the city. All of them had been carefully and methodically beaten up and cut in non-essential places. They all wore torn, ripped and filthy tokars. And after a little 'gift' from Gabrielle, Oberyn now spoke fluent Bastard Valyrian with a Yunkish accent.

Upon reaching the gates, they were stopped by the guards and as planned, Oberyn was the one first to the gates and so he spoke with the guards. In ten nerve wracking minutes he had lied, flattered and begged for entrance into the city, until the guards had finally relented and allowed them to go in.

Worryingly though was that when he risked a last peek towards the north, he could see that the khalasar was at most half a day away, as the dust clouds where only a few hills away. It would seem that the Ladies could not arrive on time to take the city.

As he mesmerized over that fact, he and two dozen of the Forlorn made their way towards the great pit of Daznak as Ivan had suggested to scout out the defenses and to see if they could perhaps get an eye on Ivan's contact within the walls. He had said that they would recognize him as soon as they would see him, it was the biggest fighter besides Ivan himself.

XXX

Aurora, Gabrielle and Ivan sat upon their mounts in the rising light of mid-morning as they looked down at the city in the distance. They had ridden ahead of the army to scout out the situation and now that they could see the city, Ivan cursed softly. "Fuck. Those horse riding savages are fast. It looks like they're already settled in." Looking besides him at the two ladies he asked, "We go ahead with the plan?"

"We do," Aurora nodded in agreement before studying the landscape around them. The city of Meereen was located at the far end of an immense canyon between the rugged hills and cliffs that surrounded it. The river Skahazadhan ran along the northern side of the city, making the only well travelled available land route to the city, the thin road leading into the hills where they were now standing.

The canyon, easily ten miles long and half again as wide, was a lush green plain shot through with many small streams and a single 30-yard wide brick road leading from the massive gates of the city, all the way to the other side and then went on into a well-traveled road of hard-pressed earth. Orchards and fields of grain where everywhere with small walled farms dotted around them.

On the right of where they stood, the khalasar had erected it's massive camp in a wide half circle against the canyon walls. Within the half circle where the tens-of-thousands of horses that made up their herds and beside a few dozen groups of outriders, none strayed far from the camp.

Turning around when they heard approaching horses, they saw Francine approaching them with a large group. She was flanked by Valaya and Salaria, and they in turn were followed by one hundred amazons.

They waited until the group had arrived before Aurora said to the two senior amazons, "Wait here and keep an eye on things, when it turns dark descend into the valley and capture several patrols. We need at least 5 dozen to proceed, though more are preferable, and remember, capture them unharmed."

"Yes My Lady," both said in unison with a small nod before they both dismounted and along with their soldiers, picketed their horses out of sight from the canyon and prepared to keep watch for the rest of the day.

The four of High Command stayed around for a short while longer before they left the group on watch and returned to the main body of their army to help prepare the site they had chosen for the battle.

They followed the road that led from the city for ten miles until they reached a second massive canyon, this one running west to east and having a bulge on the northern side. Their army had already arrived and was hard at work to prepare the field for battle. The trees and brush that covered the canyon was being cut down and tens-of-thousands were busy digging multiple lines of massive trenches, preparing artillery positions, and otherwise readying the field for battle.

A large group of mainly Dornish where busy building a great fence out of the cut down trees to close of the 'bulge', while the men of Harry and Tatters where unloading carts with piles of shields and other equipment.

Over the course of the day, the battlefield was prepared until it met the requirements that had been set for it. When all was in place, and everyone was ready, they ordered their men to eat and then rest, as the battle would begin before dawn the next day.

Leaving their army under control of Argyll, Harry and Tatters late in the evening, after having taken a few neccesary hours of rest, Aurora, Gabrielle, Ivan, and Francine made their way back to the amazons that had been stationed to keep watch over the khalasar. They reached them two hours before midnight and found the camp only guarded by half a dozen, the rest not having returned from their hunt yet.

Over the next hour, the groups began coming back with their prisoners. Valaya and Salaria's groups were the last to return, bringing no less than 28 prisoners between them. Once they were all back, the prisoners were brought forth and lined up before the Ladies. There were 87 of them, all clad in horse hair leggings and painted leather vests. Most were raging against their binds and several tried to run off, but since they were all gagged, no sounds were heard from them.

Picking one each, Aurora and Gabrielle placed their hands on the heads of the two prisoners and broke open their minds with ease. Taking everything the men knew, they absorbed the Dothraki language, their culture, customs, tactics, and the name and location of the Khal.

Turns out that the khalasar they had come across was what remained of Khal Bharbo's horde, one of the biggest that roamed the Dothraki sea. Bharbo was killed a few weeks ago by a rival Khal, one Khal Mengo, and the remains of both Khalasars were now joined together under Mengo. They also learned that Bharbo's son, Drogo, was not killed as customary but taken prisoner along with all those who did not agree to follow Mengo. He and the others were now held as slaves, intended to be sold to the Masters of Meereen.

When they had learned everything they needed to know, they wiped them and re-programmed them for a very specific task. They did this with all the others and when they were done, the new 'recruits' where released, given back their weapons and some new things, and send on their way. They would require several hours to complete their task and so the Valyrians left to prepare the next step of their plan.

XXX

A while later, two hours before dawn, the 87 new Forlorn had easily reintegrated themselves into the camp and after returning their horses to the rest of the herds, they snuck off to prepare for their orders. Each had been given several pouches with a very volatile mixture and a flint and steel to ignite them. They all made their way to the back of the canyon, behind the herds and there they waited for the signal to be given.

Far in the distance a single burning arrow was shot into the sky and instantly they went to work while the guards remained ignorant to the threat. They took out the pouches and used the flint and steel to light a small torch. Barely a minute later, two more fire arrows where shot skywards and they lit the pouches. Throwing them away as soon as the fuses were lit, the pouches landed between the horses and there they exploded, shooting small burning hot rock splinters in every direction. The explosions and the rock splinters caused an immediate panic amongst the horses and they went the only way they could go, into the camp.

A massive stampede thundered into the Dothraki camp, trampling warriors and women, slaves and children as the fury of their hooves shook the canyon floor, being felt within the very city itself.

XXX

From the edge of the canyon, Aurora and Gabrielle looked on with satisfaction as fires sprung up everywhere in the camp, adding to the chaos and frightening the horses even more. A fair share of them where recaptured as they got stuck in tent lines or when fearless riders sprung in their path and mounted them, but even so, more than two-thirds of the horses escaped to the road where the Valyrians were waiting for them.

All along the canyon road, on each of the side-paths, fires had been lit to block those paths and leave only a single path free for the horses to go, right where the Valyrians wanted them to go. Shouting and screaming small groups of mounted soldiers helped to drive the horses on until they reached the battlefield, where the ranks upon ranks of Forlorn were waiting for them. They carried torches and used their large tower shields to form a path towards the 'bulge' which the Dornish had turned into a gigantic corral. Massive gates where slid into place to close off the corral when the last of the horses where in, trapping them and robbing the Dothraki of a very valuable resource.

Meanwhile in the canyon of Meereen, large numbers of Dothraki on the remaining horses came storming towards the canyon road where Aurora and Gabrielle where waiting for them with the amazons gathered on the flanks of the road behind them. They waited until the riders were only half a mile away before Aurora raised her right fist and roared, "MAKE READY."

1.500 dismounted amazons knocked their arrows, held them above the readied braziers and drew back their bowstrings waiting for the order.

Aurora kept her fist raised until the Dothraki where only 500 yards away. Bringing it down abruptly she roared, "FIRE," and one-and-a-halve-thousand burning arrow shot into the sky in a wide arc.

As planned they landed right before the first riders who's horses, still being a bit spooked, roared on their hind legs and nearly threw their riders off. As the horsemen came to halt as they tried to regain control of their mounts, Aurora slightly transformed her throat and let out a draconian roar that echoed through the canyon.

Silence fell instantly as both men and horse instinctually recognized the sound of a superior predator. Standing up in her stirrups, Aurora roared in perfect Dothraki, "THOSE HORSES ARE OURS NOW. IF YOU WANT THEM BACK, COME AND GET THEM YOU BOW LEGGED HORSE FUCKERS."

As expected this infuriated the Dothraki and some 15.000 riders came storming towards them, again shaking the ground beneath their hooves.

"MOVE OUT," Aurora yelled to the amazons behind them and they quickly mounted up on their own horses and followed Aurora and Gabrielle as they raced into the canyon, staying just outside the reach of the Dothraki archers who shot at them from the saddle.

For near ten minutes they led them on a furious chase through the canyon road until they reached the edge of the battle field. Looking beside her, Gabrielle nodded at Francine who uncovered a small lantern and held a fire arrow near it until it ignited. Mounting the arrow on her bow, she aimed it skywards and let it fly.

XXX

Nearly two miles away, Ivan and Argyll had sat waiting atop Ironhide and Alys before the frontlines of the Forlorn. Ivan's hearing, while not as sharp as his wife's, was still far better than Argyll's and he could hear the thunder of hooves long before the others could hear them entering the canyon. "They're coming," he softly said to the Lord General besides him and nodded to a drummer on the other side of him.

The man quickly beat a short sequence of four beats and all along their lines they could hear the officers yell, "GET READY." Shields where locked together, spears were held at the ready and all soldiers waited calmly for the battle to begin.

They only had to wait for two minutes before they saw the signal, a fiery arrow shot upwards in the distance. "FIRST POSITIONS," Ivan roared and the drummer replied with three quick beats on his kettle drums. Instantly the Forlorn shot together and opened dozens of holes in their frontline, each at least a dozen yards wide.

A minute later a second fire arrow shot upwards and Ivan roared, "ARCHERS READY," the drummer beat three quick series of three beats and the archers took up their positions behind the infantry, knocking arrows and half-drawing their bows.

Now everyone could hear the overwhelming thunder of hooves and suddenly many hundreds of shadows emerged from the pre-dawn darkness. The amazons raced through the gaps in the frontlines, each illuminated by a torch on either side and as soon as they were through, Ivan roared again, "CLOSE RANKS, ARCHERS FIRE AT WILL." Three slow beats on the drum followed and as the Forlorn closed their ranks, 10.000 archers unleashed their arrows into the darkness.

As Aurora, Gabrielle and Francine joined Ivan and Argyll, the amazons joined their arrows to the continues barrage of black-feathered death that was raining down on the field, and the Dothraki rode right into it. Screams of pain and fear from the horses mingled with the unintelligible screams of men as thousands found their end at the hands of an invisible enemy. The few thousand Dothraki screamers that made it through the lethal and unstopping rain, found an impenetrable barricade of sharpened death in their path.

Rows upon rows of fire hardened sharpened wooden poles had been hammered into the ground and in the darkness, the blackened stakes were not seen before it was too late. Hundreds of horses skewered themselves on the stakes, letting their riders fly on, right into the waiting spears of the Forlorn. With impeccable discipline the Forlorn waited for the Dothraki to reach their lines and when they did, they were ready. The Valyrian steel spears shot forward and impaled the Dothraki screamers and their horses with every methodic thrust.

Aurora and Gabrielle looked on in satisfaction as they watched their army systematically slaughter the once feared Dothraki cavalry. For so long the Dothraki were used to simply trample whatever stood before them, but now that they were faced with an army that stood their ground fearlessly and slaughtered them under a hailstorm of steel-tipped arrows, they didn't know what else to do but throw themselves at the Valyrian lines in a futile attempt to break through. To no avail though, as they were slaughtered to the last.

After ten minutes of continuing firing by the archers, Aurora raised her right fist and yelled at the drummers, "SEIZE FIRING." Two short beats echoed throughout the army and the archers stopped their barrage. A few lost horses still ran between the stakes but other than that, the only sign of life that remained on the field was the screaming of dying and wounded men and horses.

"Advance," Aurora said calmly and two slow beats followed by two quick beats were struck.

As one, 15.000 Forlorn marched forwards in lockstep formation, shields locked and spears at the ready. They marched onto the field, stabbing their spears down into every limp body they came across to make sure they were actually dead and executing the few they found alive. The wounded horses they came across where put out of their misery and as the sun slowly rose above them, the full carnage was revealed to the ones watching from the side-lines.

Harry and Tatters, their men, and the Dornish, along with the Braavosi and other free-thinking parts of their army had watched from the side-lines as the battle was fought before their eyes.

Aurora, Gabrielle, Ivan and Francine rode up to their allies and once they stood before the expecting men, Aurora spoke loudly, "Now you have seen what we talked about, this is the way in which we will fight. This is the way to victory. This is how we will break the Ghiscari Empire, the Dothraki and all the others who will be foolish enough to stand in our way as we march across Essos, to free all those suffering beneath the lash and chain of slavery.

Now I know you already promised to fight for us, but I ask you this, is this what you want for your future? Is this a goal you will fight for?"

Roars of approval came from the army as they listened to her speak, all emboldened by the easy massacre of their enemies, all of them willing to fight, to die if must.

"ARE YOU WITH US?" Aurora and Gabrielle yelled together as they stood up in their stirrups and raised their axes with the light of dawn behind them, "WILL YOU FIGHT WITH US, NOW AND ALWAYS?"

"NOW AND ALWAYS," The men all roared in approval, their cheers echoing throughout the canyon. With a feral grin on her face, Aurora looked at her wife and said, "Now they have seen, now they will believe, and now the word will spread."

A similar grin was on Gabrielle's lips as she nodded and replied, "I know love, I know. Now let's just hope Dagmer is able to do his part of the plan. So we can prepare the field for the next stage of battle."

"He will," Aurora replied confidently, "I know he won't disappoint us."

XXX

On the other side of the city, at the mouth of the Skahazadhan, Dagmer and Alys stood on the prow of the Kraken's Vengeance as they watched the fleet around them. 400 Ironborn longships and 100 war galley's sailed up the river under the cover of darkness.

Far ahead of them, the city stood in the distance though they could not yet see it. "This is far enough," Dagmer shouted to the helmsman who nodded and gave the orders to reef the sails and drop the anchors while Alys blew a signal on her horn to pass the order to the other ships.

Within minutes the entire fleet lay at anchor, save a hundred of the oldest longships in their fleet. Giving his wife a kiss, Dagmer climbed overboard into a waiting sloop in which he was rowed towards one of the longships.

Each of the ships had but a skeleton crew, just enough to row them up river and shoot a few arrows, but no more. None of the crew were armored or armed with their new weapons and armor to prevent them from being lost in the river if the ships were sunk, instead they were equipped with their old gear. This was deliberate as their plan depended on it. Rowing upriver as quick as they could, they made as much noise as possible and it wasn't long until they were spotted. Fire beacons were lit along the river banks and when the city finally came into view, a Meereenese naval squadron was waiting for them.

They were met by a hailstorm of boulders and fire arrows as the war galleys rowed forward to try and ram them. Thirty-two ships were lost, their crews swimming away and either climbing aboard other ships or hiding in the riverbanks, before Dagmer thought it was enough. Yelling as loud as he could, so everyone could hear him, Dagmer roared over the water, "RETREAT. THIS BATTLE IS LOST. LET'S GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE."

The longships immediately rowed backwards, fleeing with their tails between their legs, and the 'victorious' Meereenese cheered as they saw their attackers flee, confident that they had driven them off.

As Dagmer pulled on the oar of a second battered longship, the first one he had sailed having sunk to the bottom, he muttered softly, "This had better be worth it."

"What's that captain?" the man behind him asked and Dagmer looked around and repeated,

"I said this had better be worth it, we lost good ships and men in this distraction, let's hope they do the thing we expect and hold this 'fight' for over."

"You got that right captain." The man said as he looked at the wounded laying in the middle of the longship.

XXX

A few hours later, just as the city would normally awake to their daily lives within the walls, Oberyn's men where sneaking through the shadows below the city towards their targets. They had been awake and active since the Dothraki camp had been set alight, so they all knew the day of action had come. Oberyn and two others were currently dressed as Meereenese soldiers, after having assassinated the previous users of the gear, and walked openly through the city, listening and watching for any news that might help their mission.

The news so far had been good, near halve the Dothraki where rumored to have been killed when their remaining cavalry had ridden out after their escaped horses three hours ago and had yet to return. An attack by the Ironborn had been beaten of by the Meereenese navy so they thought that battle was won and the harbor secure. Now it all hinged on whether or not the Masters of Meereen would sent their army out with the remaining Dothraki as their Khal Mengo had demanded.

Suddenly bells where sounded all over and people shot to action. Oberyn and his men rushed towards the nearest marketplace where an announcer appeared soon after who yelled, "People of Meereen, the Great Masters of our magnificent city have decided. All men of the militia must report to their mustering places, our legions will march out with the warriors of Khal Mengo to put a stop to the futile ambitions of these so-called 'Valyrians'. The legions march out two hours before noon."

He went on a while after that, spouting some nonsense about the supposed greatness of their city and the 'invincibility of their armies'. "Come, I've heard enough." Oberyn muttered quietly to his two men and they quickly marched off, pretending to go to a barracks. As soon as they were out of sight, they headed towards one of their secret mustering places in the sewers below the city.

When they entered the sewers, they quickly ditched the uniforms and only keeping the weapons with them, they hurried through the darkness until they came across the others. The meeting place happened to be directly beneath the Great Pit of Daznak, the floor of the subterranean room was littered with bones, remains of the poor souls that had died on the sands above them.

Near a hundred Forlorn were present and Oberyn walked to the middle of the group and spoke, "The Meereenese army will march two hours before noon, meaning they will arrive at the battlefield around noon. We make our move at the same time." All of them saluted him and he moved on through the sewers to the next meeting place to inform the next group.

XXX

At the edge of the canyon before Meereen, Francine, Valaya and Salaria sat atop their horses to look out over the preparations going on in the canyon. They saw the Dothraki marshaling their remaining strength. They saw the legions of Meereen gathering on the fields before the city and they all smiled in satisfaction. So far everything was going exactly as planned.

Looking behind her, Francine addressed the amazons waiting for them. "Marana, Gaya, ride back to the army and report to The Ladies; The armies of Meereen are mustering and will march soon, they should expect them around noon. As it looks now, they have some 16 legions, each 6.000 strong. The Dothraki have some 22.000 left, all on foot save a few hundred mounted."

Both saluted and replied as one, "Yes my Lady," before turning their horses and riding of in a hurry. Francine looked after them until they were out of sight before turning back to watching the gathering armies.

She tried to focus on the Meereenese militia, but they were too far away even for her eyes to clearly see their equipment. Judging by what they had seen during their brief stay in the city, it wouldn't be much more than simple padded linen with bronze rings sewn on for extra protection. The shields would be big, round, and unwieldy, and the spears long with steel points.

They would be trained to stay in close ranks, so they'd be well guarded if they remained disciplined, but the most important thing was that they were militia, not professional soldiers. The Dothraki would be unarmored and unruly, just as they had been last night. Their only danger lay in their horses, which were now no longer an issue.

XXX

Aurora and Ivan rode over the field of battle to make sure no obstacles were left of the massacre of this morning. All bodies, both of men and of horses had been removed and the horses were being butchered for their meat. The shot arrows had been gathered and if they were still whole they were re-distributed to the archers, or otherwise stored away to be repaired later.

Looking up at the sky Ivan muttered, "It's close to noon, I'd say half an hour before, they'll be here soon."

Placing a hand on Ivan's armored knee, Aurora replied, "Let them come Ivan, we're ready for them. Today you'll have your vengeance, today we'll rid Slaver's Bay from the last of these so called 'Great Masters'."

Ivan nodded and as he padded Ironhide beneath him he answered, "I know we're ready, I'm just anxious to get started. I can't wait to see the looks on their faces when they see me again, now that I'm finally myself once more."

Aurora lifted her hand and laughed loudly, "I'm pretty sure that just the look of you will be enough to make them shit themselves."

"Hehehe, yea I'm sure they will." Ivan grinned before turning his eyes westwards where a pair of riders were quickly approaching.

Valaya and Salaria came to a halt and after saluting the two commanders, Valaya said, "My Lady, Lord Marshal. The Lady Francine told us to inform you that the Meereenese have crossed into the last part of the canyon road, they'll be here in half an hour."

"Where is my wife?" Ivan asked looking westwards.

"The Lady has stayed to watch over the enemy and monitor their progress. She'll be arriving before they do."

"Good," Aurora said calmly, "and what of the Dothraki, where are they?"

"They advance before the Meereenese in an undisciplined horde." Salaria reported with a grin, "Just as you predicted they would."

"That's good," Aurora nodded with a smile, "go on and join your sisters, Argyll will tell you what to do."

"Yes, My Lady," both said with a bow, before they saluted and rode off.

Aurora and Ivan shared a look before focusing their eyes on the west, and the coming of the enemy. Above them, large flocks of crows and vultures swarmed over the battlefield, drawn by the smell of shed blood and the promise of even more carnage before the day was out.

They waited there in silence, alone on the field for near half an hour, the cries of the crows above them the only sound. Everyone was in place, all the plans were on the table and now all they could do was wait to see them come to fruition.

When Francine finally joined them she gave Ivan a kiss before saying, "The Dothraki are staying with the Meereenese for now, they didn't storm ahead as we had hoped."

"Damn," Aurora muttered as Gabrielle, Argyll, Harry and Tatters joined them.

"Change of plans," Aurora told the others once they arrived, "Francine just told me that the Dothraki are staying with the Meereenese, so we go to plan B."

The others all nodded and Gabrielle said, "Then let's go get to it."

XXX

In the city, Oberyn tried to check the position of the sun through the grate above him, but it proofed to be impossible. Deciding they had waited long enough, he looked down and nodded at the man standing below him. "We've waited long enough, give the signal, we move now."

"Yes my Lord," the man said and he hurried off to tell the others.

A minute later the lid of a privy in the guards barracks was carefully raised and a head slowly emerged from it. Once the Forlorn made sure there was no one, he quickly climbed out and was soon followed by others. Dozens emerged from the sewers and armed with knives and daggers, they snuck out and spread out through the barracks.

Oberyn emerged after the first group was out and to his satisfaction, he saw that most of the guards where gone, no doubt having been called to fight. The few they came across where neutralized and tied up until enough had emerged to make their move into the training yard.

Oberyn was the first to emerge from the barracks and the half dozen Unsullied still on guard immediately charged at him, only to be intercepted by the Forlorn. They threw themselves at the guards with reckless abandon and four died before they could kill the guards.

The Pit fighters were looking at the fight with interest from behind their locked cells and once it was over, Oberyn stepped forward and ordered his men to open the cells. Once the Pit fighters were all free and looking at him, it wasn't hard for Oberyn to find the man Ivan had spoken of.

The man was a Sothoryi and stood at 7 foot 3, with bulging muscles all over his body and two small tusks protruding out of his lower jaw. His hair was black, his skin was dark brown, and he was covered in artfully arranged scars. Oberyn walked up to him and asked in Bastard Valyrian, "Are you the one they call Yagathai?" When the man nodded Oberyn continued, "That is good, I have a message from the Demon; He says that the time has come, today is the day you can win your freedom."

Yagathai nodded once before turning to his fellows, "Today we brake our chains. We fight now." His voice was low and guttural and the accent was atrocious, but at least he was understandable.

He turned back to Oberyn and asked, "What is plan?"

Oberyn looked him up and down once before answering, "We arm you, and make our way to the harbor, we secure the harbor gate and wait for our allies."

"Is good plan, but what if Masters return?"

"Trust me," Oberyn said with a grin, "they won't. As we speak, the armies of Valyria are destroying them."

"Good," Yagathai nodded and he stomped off to a rack of weapons attached to the wall of the training yard. He picked a large hammer from the wall and a shield and banged the hammer against the shield. "Take weapons. We go." The others immediately followed his order and armed themselves while Yagathai spoke to Oberyn again.

"What about the others. There be more pits in city."

"I know," Oberyn agreed, "That is why I have groups of men doing there the same as we have just done here. All of your fellow fighters are being freed as we speak."

"Good," the Sothoryi replied before marching up to the locked gates and bringing his hammer down on the lock, breaking it open with a single hit. He raised his hammer in the air and yelled, "We now fight for freedom."

The others all repeated his cry and they stormed out of the gates towards the docks while Oberyn couldn't suppress a small grin. They sure where eager to fight.

When they neared the docks, Oberyn saw that the first group had already done their part. The watchtowers on the walls were burning, their stores of pitch causing thick black smoke that rose high into the sky.

XXX

Dagmer and Alys had spent the few hours since the 'defeat' with caring for the wounded and re-arming the ones still able to fight with their new equipment. Now they waited for the signal to make their move.

"Look," Alys suddenly said and she pointed at the black smoke rising in the distance.

Dagmer looked and once he saw it himself he yelled at the helmsman, "Raise the anchors and set sail, we move out."

The helmsman nodded and once again Alys took her horn and blew the signal to move. The whole fleet raised their anchors, lowered their sails and manned the oars. Within minutes they were on the move and headed full speed towards the city.

Half an hour later, the Iron Fleet landed in the harbor of Meereen, un-resisted as planed as all Meereenese naval units had joined their land forces when they marched. 18.000 Ironborn jumped off their ships and spread out over the harbor before moving into the city. Dagmer and Alys were amongst the first off the ships and they met Oberyn at the gates to the city.

"Good to see you again Oberyn," Dagmer grinned as he threw him his new spear. The new weapon was very similar to his previous spear, only this one was made of dragonbone and Spell-forged steel. Oberyn caught it with a grin and caressed the engraved shaft as if it was a beloved child. The Forge Master himself had made it for him and he had promised him in turn to take good care of it.

"Well let's get to work shall we," Dagmer grinned before he joined the mass of Ironborn streaming into the city, Alys and Oberyn hot on his heels.

XXX

Aurora and Gabrielle sat just behind the frontlines, waiting atop their destriers for the enemy to make their move. They had arrived at the canyon and were now forming up on the field. They seemed to be in high spirits, which was not that surprising from their point of view as they appeared to outnumber their foe near three to one.

The Valyrian army had been very carefully arranged, the frontline, which was the only one in plain sight, was made up of 15.000 Forlorn in the center and 8.000 Unsullied on each flank. The left flank was protected by a sheer cliff and large fields of shrubbery, the right flank was covered by the trees of a small forest. Aurora personally commanded the center, Gabrielle the left flank and Argyll the right. The line was shaped like a shallow half moon, subtly forcing the attacker to focus on their heaviest elite troops in the center.

Francine commanded the archers and the artillery from the rear and Ivan headed the heavy cavalry and special troops which were very cleverly hidden on the left flank. The men of Harry and Tatters, along with the Braavosi where likewise hidden out of sight between the trees on the right flank and waiting for the command to spring the trap. The Dornish had been placed amongst the archers, as in this battle bow skills did not mater but everyone could use a bow and fire in volleys.

The remainder of the Unsullied and the Forlorn, where waiting as reserves in trenches between the front line and the ranged troops who waited in their own trenches. With their army in place, Aurora and Gabrielle rode through the front line and forward and from opposite them they could see a similar delegation approaching. Two Dothraki, and three Meereenese rode forward and they met each other in the middle.

To the amusement of the Ladies they saw that one of the Meereenese delegates was none other than Allazar of the House of Daznak, the one they had bought Ivan from. When they looked at the two Dothraki though their amusement quickly vanished. Seated on a black horse besides the one they assumed to be Khal Mengo, was Horro, the former commander of the Golden Company's cavalry who had betrayed them at Tyrosh. He had discarded his heavy armor and was now dressed as an ordinary Dothraki, he had also acquired a new sword. A Dragon-bone-handled arakh hung from his saddle and when they looked closer they saw the blade was Valyrian steel.

When their horses came to a halt, Aurora and Gabrielle slowly removed their helmets and both Allazar and Horro gasped as they recognized them. "YOU," Allazar yelled as he pointed an accusing finger at them.

"Yes, us," Aurora replied with a dark smirk. "and I know several people who would be more than glad to put your ugly face on a spike Horro. You are responsible for the deaths of a lot of good men."

"A lot of traitors you mean." Horro spat back at them. "I at least fulfilled our contract with Tyrosh, the others broke their word."

"Enough," Mengo said to Horro, "We are not here about who betrayed who." Turning to Aurora and Gabrielle he said coldly. "You killed my warriors and you stole our horses, we will take them back."

"You can try," Gabrielle scoffed, "but so did your men this morning, and where are they now?"

"I will have my vengeance," Mengo spat before abruptly turning his horse around and riding off with Horro besides him.

Allazar looked at them go before turning back to the Ladies. "You may have fooled us before, but there is no fooling us now. You are greatly outnumbered, you have nowhere to go, surrender now and your lives will be spared."

Both Aurora and Gabrielle laughed at that and Gabrielle replied, "You have no idea how many people have told us that in all of our lives. So let me in turn tell you this, surrender now, and only most of you will die. We may be outnumbered, but trust me when I say that you are terribly outmatched."

Now the Meereenese laughed and Allazar said, "Very well, you have made your choice. I'll look for you in the battle." He and the other two turned around and rode of.

"I doubt it," Aurora yelled after him, "The Demon is rather looking forward to smash your face in." This made him stop and look around in concern where he saw both Ladies smirk at him. "O, and by the way," Aurora added, "You only defeated a diversionary attack on the harbor. We sent a small fleet of old ships to make you feel safe. As we speak, 18.000 Ironborn are streaming into your city through gates that have been opened by the very fighters you have forced to kill and die in your pits."

Now shock spread over their faces before they turned around briskly and galloped back to their army, leaving Aurora and Gabrielle with a smirk. Both ladies put their helmets back on and galloped back to their own army.

"I'd say that's enough to make Mengo take the bait." Gabrielle said with a small huff. And indeed, when they arrived back at their own lines, the Dothraki horde was the first to move. With a loud yell and swinging of his arakh, Mengo and his remaining riders stormed forwards, followed by the footslogging Dothraki who ran at full speed.

"Pathetic," Aurora muttered softly while she studied the advancing horde. The Meereenese did not abandon their temporary allies, as their legions advanced at a steady pace as well, but since their strength depended on the unity of their formations, their advance was slow, far slower than the Dothraki.

The Dothraki archers let their arrows fly towards the Valyrian battle line, but Aurora, Gabrielle and Argyll quickly ordered them to raise shields and the large rectangular tower shields of the Forlorn formed an overlapping impenetrable barrier. The Unsullied were less lucky, their round shield offering less protection but even so, they raised their shields and most arrows were deflected.

The drummer had remained with Aurora, now having mounted his drums on a horse to allow him to follow her, and she ordered, "Archers fire, two salvo's," One, then two, and again two beats echoed through the canyon and behind the frontlines 6.000 archers knocked their arrows and fired. The black-shafted arrows rained down on the unarmored Dothraki as they had that morning and the first salvo alone claimed a thousand dead or wounded, the second claimed even more victims and the haphazard assault faltered slightly. Mengo managed to rally his men though and they once again came screaming at them.

"Fire again, until they reach our lines." The drummer complied and seconds later the volleys came whistling over their heads. The lack of shields and armor made the Dothraki easy targets and they suffered horrendous casualties under the continuous barrage. They persevered though and when they reached the Valyrian lines, they crashed on them as a wave on a cliff.

From her position behind the frontline, which was ten deep, Aurora looked in satisfaction as the captains took command of their companies. Each company was 250 strong, and the captain was located in the middle in the third rank and on an upturned crate to give him a good overview of his section of the frontline. This made him a prime target for enemy sharpshooters, but that was a risk they had decided was worth taking, and besides, the seven men behind him where all standing ready to take over should he be taken out.

The Dothraki where not that organized though, and with a grim pleasure, Aurora watched as Mengo and Horro both had their horses killed beneath them and when they fell, she mentally reached out for the captain nearest them and ordered his company forward and capture them. The section advanced slowly, stabbing their spears forward, killing the first line of Dothraki, and then marching forward one step and repeated it, the companies on either side marched along slowly to protect their flanks, and so they formed a small bulge.

Within ten steps both men were reached and once secured, the unit marched backward the same way they had come and the line was made straight again. The two captives were passed along to the back of the line and once they were out of the ranks, five Forlorn from the reserves jumped them and after knocking them out, they bound them and carried them away. The reserves had been placed in groups behind the frontline to deal with the prisoners that were thrown out by the front ranks, and to fill the gaps that would inevitably fall as soldiers were injured or killed.

By that time, the Meereenese had advanced to within 500 yards and Aurora ordered the drummer, "Signal the artillery to begin their firing, boulders only for now." The man quickly beat four strokes followed by two, and seconds later 30 boulders shot over their heads to crash into the Meereenese legions, carving bloody swaths through their phalanxes.

With satisfaction Aurora saw that Francine had obviously caught her drift and the archers had followed the artillery and were now firing at the Meereenese, utilizing the disruption of their formations by the artillery to inflict greater casualties on the loosened ranks. This tactic forced the Masters to make a choice, keep their formations intact and suffer from the artillery, or loosen their formations and suffer from the archers. They chose to wither the artillery so their phalanxes remained intact as they advanced towards the Dothraki which were quickly being decimated.

Just before the Meereenese reached them, and with only a few hundred Dothraki remaining, Aurora ordered the drummer, "Switch the front line, draw swords." The man beat once, then thrice and then once again and over the entire line, the front rank threw their shoulders against their shields, pushing the few remaining Dothraki away and quickly turned sideways and slipped between the ranks behind them. At the same time the other nine ranks marched a step forward to present a fresh line of troops to the nearing Meereenese. The new front rank had handed their spears to the ones behind them before moving and those were now passed on too the rear where they were gathered and placed into waiting barrels. Short swords where now drawn and with raised shields, they waited for the arrival of the pike-wielding phalanxes.

The advantage the pike had over the sword was their range, but in the fight Aurora had envisioned, that advantage would very quickly turn to a disadvantage. The day before, three lines of long trenches had been dug behind the frontlines and in the middle line of those trenches, 2.000 former sellswords now stood waiting with loaded crossbows.

All the while the ranged troops maintained their barrage, every artillery volley was followed by an arrow volley in such a devastating volume that entire phalanx companies where wiped out before they even reached the Valyrian frontline.

When the tips of the first phalanx were mere yards away, Aurora nodded to the drummer who quickly beat once, then twice, twice again, and once more. Immediately the front lines ducked down low and the sellswords behind them emerged from their trenches. They fired a single volley at the front rank of the phalanxes and their Valyrian steel tipped bolts penetrated through the shields, right into the men behind them.

As the men fell, the crossbowmen ducked back into their trenches and the first two ranks of archers took over. They now fired their bows horizontally, straight into the now unshielded phalanxes. Keeping up the barrage until the first line of phalanxes was completely eradicated, the archers inflicted horrendous casualties on the militia soldiers.

When the archers stopped firing, the front lines stood up again to await the advance of the second line of phalanxes, whose marching formations where hampered by the bodies, shields and pikes of their predecessors.

The archers rejoined the others with their volleys while the sellswords hurried off through the trenches to join their still concealed brethren on the right flank.

By now the Meereenese archers had come into range to start firing back with their own bows and the counter volleys mostly bounced harmlessly from the shields of the Forlorn. Francine quickly realized the danger and ordered her archers to counter fire and focus on the enemy archers.

This was a gamble, as now the phalanxes could advance molested only by the artillery over the last stretch before the Valyrian lines, but they had to keep the enemy archers suppressed lest they got lucky and opened gaps in the Valyrian front line.

While the archers fought out their own duel with their counterparts, the frontlines of both armies finally connected with an almighty crash. The pikes of the Meereenese got stuck or snapped off on the tower shields of the Forlorn which were covered in thin sheets of Valyrian steel. The Forlorn used the size of the shields to their advantage by hiding behind them, letting the few pikes that penetrated between the shields to go through harmlessly, and allowing the ranks behind them to hack at them with their short swords.

Once it was clear to Allazar, who was elected the supreme commander of the Meereenese army, that the pikes were apparently not going to work, he ordered his men to drop them and advance with short-spears, swords and axes.

At that precise moment when the Meereenese where switching their weapons, Aurora ordered the drummer again, "Switch front ranks." One beat on the drum followed and as a well oiled machine, the entire front rank was switched out again for a fresh one, to the amazement of the Meereenese militia who looked envious at the clockwork precision and discipline of the Forlorn.

Just as the Forlorn shields closed again, the Meereenese reached them and threw themselves against the shield wall with not much enthusiasm.

Aurora looked out over her army with a contend smile as she saw the methodic stabbing of the Forlorn swords. Looking to her flanks, she saw that the Unsullied were fairing not much different than the Forlorn in the center. The brunt of the Meereenese units had slammed into the center but the flanks had not been neglected. On the right she saw Argyll's soldiers subtly pulling back, just as she had ordered until their line was sloped backwards instead of forwards.

On the left Gabrielle's units were doing the exact opposite, carefully marching slowly forward until the entire frontline was now angled thus that the Meereenese had their flank/back to the trees, and Aurora waited for the opportune moment to let the first part of her trap snap shut.

The frontlines where now a mingle of pushing bodies, the Meereenese futilely trying to break through the Forlorn line. Now the true military genius of his opponent became apparent to Allazar, as in the face of the unwavering Valyrian shield wall, the Meereenese were being pressed together by their fellows advancing from behind them. The short stabbing swords of the Valyrians carved a bloody toll from the militia as they had no room to swing their weapons or to raise their large and cumbersome round shields to deflect the stabbing swords that shot forward from between the tower shields.

Every time a Forlorn was critically injured or killed, he was grabbed by the one behind him on the left and pulled backwards, while the one directly behind him took his place. Aurora had ordered that each back plate was to be equipped with a handle that was riveted to the upper part of the plate steel. These handles now served to make it easy to drag a wounded to safety. They were passed along to the rear and handed to the reserves who rushed them to one of the three aid stations that had been erected in the middle behind each section's archers.

When she saw that the Meereenese had fully committed to the battle, the rear units waiting patiently for their turn, Aurora finally initiated the second part of her plan. Looking at the patiently waiting drummer she said, "Signal Harry and Tatters; two volleys, then attack under missile cover."

Quickly the man beat five beats followed by two and then three. To Aurora's amusement she could see several of the Meereenese officers look around in concern at hearing the drumbeats, apparently they had figured out that the Valyrians gave orders in that way and were now looking around to see where those orders would take effect. They didn't have to look far.

XXX

behind the temporarily re-erected forest, Harry and Tatters sat atop their destriers at the head of a line of 1.000 knights on fully armored horses. Armed with heavy lances and swords, their men were the crop of their combined remaining mounted fighters, the rest being forced to join the foot soldiers waiting behind the knights.

Nine-thousand heavy infantry stood in formation, anxiously awaiting the beginning of their little part of the battle. Behind them where the two-thousand crossbowmen, and again behind them stood the four-thousand remaining archers.

They were waiting patiently for the signal to be given and Harry and Tatters looked between the trees towards the battlefield. They both used a Myrish lens to scan the area where they were supposed to strike. They saw the enemy slowly being forced into the right position for them to strike, ever so slowly turning their unguarded rear flank towards the forest. Turning around to one of his men, Harry said, "Quickly pass the word, make ready for the attack, it's almost time."

The man quickly did as he said and soon the knights steadied their grip on their lances, the infantry strapped their shields to their arms and the archers knocked their arrows. Barely a minute later the long awaited sound came, a drum echoed over the field and sounded to within the forest, four beats followed by two and then three.

Turning around Harry roared, "Archers, continue volley fire, crossbows one volley then join melee." His men immediately sprung to action.

Two-thousand crossbow bolts arched out of the forest, followed by four-thousand arrows. This barrage struck the back of the Meereenese army and taken completely by surprise, the rear companies were utterly decimated. As the archers shot once more, sending another volley towards the bewildered and chaotic rear lines, the crossbowmen dropped their crossbows and took up shields and melee weapons.

As the first volley soared overhead, Harry raised his lance in the air, the black and golden banner of House Valaris attached to it unfurled in the soft breeze behind the thin screen of trees and his knights did the same. Turning his horse sideways he addressed his knights. "All right lads, you heard the Ladies this morning, today we fight, today we strike a crippling blow to slavery. Now with me men," turning his destrier back towards the battlefield, Harry thrust his lance into the air and roared, "FOR FREEDOM, FOR VALYRIA…. CHARGE."

As he gave his horse the spurs, his knights following along, groups of Dornishmen sprang into action all along his part of the front. Using axes, they cut through ropes which in turn dropped weighted barrels. These barrels functioned as counterweights, pulling upwards large parts of the entire tree line over a distance of 800 yards. This allowed the knights to charge straight into the open, lances outstretched before them, without having to shirk around tree roots and the like. Likewise the infantry behind them could advance at full speed from the start without obstacles.

When the trees cleared, there were but 300 yards between the two armies and within a third of that distance the Valyrian cavalry had reached their top speed. With a heavy nod of his head, Harry snapped shut the visor of his dull black full helmet and focused his vision on the enemy ranks in front of him.

With an ear-splitting crash, the heavy cavalry slammed into the disorganized Meereenese militia, heavy lances skewering through multiple opponents before they were broken or discarded. Swords and hammers where raised and brought down again, their users hacking into the hapless infantry around them. The knights rode on through the panicking mass, the infantry following behind them and taking care of what they left behind.

They weren't allowed to go too far though, Aurora had given clear orders; don't cut them off entirely because a cornered enemy stuck in a trap, will fight much harder than one that has a chance to escape from the trap.

Having reached the maximum allowed depth, Harry raised a horn to his lips and his knights veered off to the right, making a turn and hacking their way out of the militia and back towards their own infantry.

XXX

From where she sat, Aurora looked on with a satisfied grin as she saw Harry and Tatters lead the charge into the enemy's rear. As the knights crashed into the panicking militia, Aurora turned to the drummer and said, "Signal artillery, special ammo, one salvo only." The drummer nodded and four beats followed by one echoed through the noise of combat.

Half a minute later, the boulders flying over their lines were exchanged for large clay pots. The pots were filled with a liquid explosive mixture and thousands of rock and clay splinters. Using the measurement devises Boltrock had created for just this purpose, the crews had cut the fuses to a specific length and loaded the pots. Exactly two seconds after the fuses where lit, they were fired. While the pots flew over the lines, Aurora followed them with her eyes. A mere second before they crashed into the midst of the Meereenese army, the pots exploded.

Tens of thousands of splinters shot in every direction, cutting down hundreds of militia with a single volley.

With a dark satisfaction Aurora watched the holes fall in the middle of the enemy's forces and she turned back to the drummer, "Time for the finishing blow, signal the Lord Marshal; Unleash Hell."

The drummer nodded and beat a quick succession of beats for ten seconds. It was time to end this battle, and the end began with a rumble in the distance. Even from the mile away, Aurora could see the figures now jumping from their trenches. Eight giants appeared to rise from the earth and began to run straight into the Meereenese flank, sealing the 'box' around the enemy army from the third side, leaving only one way open for them to flee in, the road back to the city.

XXX

On the far left side of the Valyrian army, Ivan was waiting impatiently for his signal to strike. The sounds of battle and smell of blood made Ironhide beneath him paw the ground nervously, just like his master the Juggernaut was eager to get started on the bloodshed.

Hiding in a trench hidden behind shrubbery, Ivan looked besides him and saw the reinforcements Boltrock had sent them with the last return fleet. Eight giants being led by Mag the Mighty himself. Each giant was clad head-to-toe in inch-thick Valyrian steel plates over a double, inter-linked layer of mail. They were armed with gigantic chains, each ten yards long with links forged from three inch thick bars of Valyrian steel. On both long sides of each link were six inch spikes, creating a weapon that was just as devastating as the spiked tails of the Ladies' dragon forms.

The trench they were in was deep enough to hide the giants from view, and the wall towards the battlefield was a low slope allowing the final part of the Valyrian army to storm onto the field behind the giants. The greater majority of the heavy cavalry, 6.000 Forlorn on armored horses, stood arrayed behind the giants, ready to ride down whatever was left after the charge of Mag and his warriors.

When he heard the signal for Harry and Tatters to strike, he knew it would soon be their moment as well. Turning to Mag who stood beside him, Ivan tapped his armored leg with the tip of his mace to get his attention. When the giant looked down towards him, Ivan said," Get your warriors ready, it'll be our turn soon."

Mag nodded his head and walked over to the others giants who were clustered together. He spoke a few short sentences in the Old Tongue and they split up, each one taking their place on the front, keeping a distance of 30 yards between them.

All Ivan had to do was raise his mace and the Forlorn cavalry stood ready as well. The horses they rode had been given the same treatment as their riders, making them docile to ride, but very fierce and aggressive to enemies. Also they removed their instinctual hesitation to ride into objects, meaning they would run straight into a phalanx if their riders directed them to do so.

Ivan removed his helmet from where it hung on his saddle and put it on his head, the horns adding nearly a foot to his height. Giving his mace a few swings, he placed it horizontally on the saddle before him and began his pre-battle meditation. He cleared his head of everything he did not need right now, focusing only on the fight ahead.

He sat unmoving for near two minutes before he heard it, as the distant echo of a cavalry charge, a continuous beat on the kettle drum lasting ten seconds. As soon as it started Ivan opened his eyes and turned toward mag, 15 yards to his right. He nodded his head and Mag nodded in turn, slamming his fist against his chest and taking up both ends of his chain.

When the beating stopped, Ivan raised his mace and pressed the button to let the spikes free. He swung it forward and roared, "CHARGE!"

Mag and the giants were the first out, charging up the slope to the battlefield and using their chains to clear the bushes away, preparing the path for the cavalry behind them. The giants' appearance caused the fear of the gods to the Meereenese who had never seen giants before.

Ivan was the next to appear, his presence causing near as much terror as that of the giants. He could hear the cries of, "Demon," and "Daznak's Beast," echoing through the ranks before them as Ironhide gathered speed to keep up with the giants. The Forlorn appeared behind them, rank upon rank of men on horses, both riders and mounts armored in black steel. This, as Aurora had predicted, was enough to break the enemy's will to fight.

As the giants reached the panicking Meereenese, they began to swing their chains around, eviscerating dozens with each swing of the terrifying weapons. Ivan rode between them, Ironhide charging into the militia like a demon from the underworld. Men were crushed beneath the Juggernaut's feet, or eviscerated by his horn blade while his rider swung around him with his mace.

The Forlorn's attack literally shook the battlefield as thousands of tons of meat and metal performed one of the most devastating charges in living memory. The impact they had, both on the flanks of the giants and behind them, crushed everyone that stood in their way. Thousands were simply trampled under the steel-shot hooves of the cavalry, while many hundreds more were cut down by the riders.

XXX

Upon seeing the giants appear out of nowhere, Allazar knew the battle was lost. His men fled by the hundreds and soon by the thousands as they threw away their weapons and fled back to the city. At the same time as the cavalry struck his right flank, the two other fronts moved as well.

The army that had come from the woods renewed their own cavalry charge while their infantry formed up in battle formations, shields locked together to push his men backwards into the charging cavalry and giants.

The frontline they had originally been fighting did not move, but they parted to let the ones behind them advance. The Unsullied moved with their fabled effectiveness and the strange heavy infantry that formed the center moved as one when they fell upon his army.

He could do nothing but look around him and watch his army crumble as they were cut down, trampled, or simple fled. As despair took a hold on his mind, he suddenly became aware of men dying near him. When he looked he saw something he had feared ever since he had heard of his presence. The Demon, his Demon whom he had trained and turned into a champion, came thundering towards him. He was seated on a massive rhinoceros with a blade instead of a horn coming from its head. From the tips of his horned helmet to the feet of his mount, the Demon was covered in blood and pieces of human flesh clung to the spikes on his mace and armor.

With fear gripping his heart, he quickly ordered his own personal elite reserves of 300 Unsullied to intercept the demon before he could reach him. Forming a shield wall in the Demon's path, the Unsullied locked shields and held their spears at the ready.

To Allazar's dismay, the Demon did not stop, on the contrary, he roared an order and within seconds, hundreds of heavy cavalry came to his sides and together they charged the Unsullied blocking their path. Despite their nearly unmatched skill with the spear, the Unsullied's weapons snapped or glanced off on the heavy plate protecting the horses' chests. The cavalry rode on, hacking the Unsullied to pieces without remorse, or stopping.

As the cavalry dealt with the Unsullied, the Demon came to a halt before him. He removed his helmet with his left hand and smirked at him with eyes filled with hatred and rage. With a growl he said "Remember me you inbred mongrel?"

"How dare you," Allazar spat as he drew his sword for the first time that day, "I made you what you are, you were nothing when I bought you and I made you a champion. Is this how you repay my generosity to you, by fighting for our enemies and killing my people."

XXX

"Hmpf," Ivan scoffed at hearing his words, "Made me? You really are as stupid as you look. I was fighting wars before your House was even made. I stayed with you because I chose to do so. To lay the foundations of a rebellion that has conquered your precious city from within."

Pointing his gore covered mace towards Allazar, Ivan growled, "Now make your choice, you can die here, or you will hang from the walls of your precious city."

With a cry of rage Allazar kicked his horse and shot forward towards Ivan. Acting as one, the Juggernaut and his rider were ready. Ironhide threw his head out, skewering the snow-white charger in the flank while Ivan's mace smashed the 'Great Master' from his saddle, breaking every rib in his body and destroying every organ in his chest as the torso was impaled on the spikes.

Bringing the mace towards him, Ivan plucked the ruined, but miraculously still alive, body from his weapon and held him upwards in one arm. With a roar of triumph, he slammed the body down on Ironhide's blade, splitting Allazar from groin to neck.

This single brutal act finished the battle. For fifty yards around him, everything was dead and drenched in blood. Beyond that, the field was covered with the dead and the dying. Further away, the combined Valyrian cavalry was chasing the fleeing Meereenese, now turned from killing to capturing as many as they could.

The amazons likewise joined in on the chase, their unarmored horses being faster than the heavy cavalry and using wooden clubs to knock out everyone they came across, leaving it to the reserves streaming onto the battlefield to capture them.

The bloodlust and rage slowly left his body as Ivan looked around him, the Forlorn and the Unsullied had returned to where they had stood since daybreak. Their ranks greatly diminished, but still intact.

From behind their lines he could see five people riding towards him, Francine, with Aurora and Gabrielle first and Argyll behind them, and Harry came from the other side. As he waited for them to reach him, Mag and the other giants came stomping towards where Ironhide stood.

XXX

Aurora had watched closely as she saw Ivan slaughtering his way towards Allazar, and when she saw him split the man, she couldn't suppress a small chuckle. Mag's charge was awe-inspiring to witness as well, the clumps of human pieces thrown about by the chains reminded her of when she was using her own tail.

When the Meereenese army finally broke, she urged her horse on after seeing to it that everyone did what they were supposed to do and Francine had ridden up next to her. From their sides they saw Gabrielle and Argyll riding up with them towards Ivan.

When they arrived they saw Harry had come from the other side and Francine took one look at her husband's blood and gore covered form before saying with a grin, "You need a bath Ivy."

The others all burst out laughing at that until Gabrielle brought them all back to the present with the question, "How many do you think we lost?"

"Mine are minimal," Ivan replied immediately, "they were already broken when we reached them and they put up no resistance. I think we lost maybe a dozen or two to mishaps and accidents but no more."

"Good," Aurora replied before turning to Harry, "How did you and Tatters do Harry?"

The former Golden Company commander scratched the rough stubble on his chin before he replied, "Maybe fifty to sixty knights, and around three hundred infantry dead, about a thousand wounded though."

Aurora nodded and turned to Francine, "How did the archers get out of this Sinny?"

"We got lucky," Francine muttered, "Thanks to your insistence on having the archers wear full armor, we got only a few dozen dead, mostly by crossbow bolts. Wounded are less than a hundred."

Good," Aurora replied before looking at Argyll,

She didn't have to ask as he replied immediately, "We took a beating. I'm estimating between eighteen- and twenty one hundred dead and around the same number wounded."

"We got about the same," Gabrielle added after him. "about four thousand casualties, with a third of that dead."

Next they all looked at Aurora and Gabrielle asked, "How did the Forlorn fare? It looks like they suffered heavy losses."

"They did," Aurora replied with a sigh. "It went exactly as I had planned, they threw their full weight against my center and it tells. I got around four thousand dead and a large part of the others wounded in some degree."

A deep sigh went through the group as Gabrielle quickly did the math, "So around nine-thousand dead and maybe fifteen-thousand wounded, not bad considering we were outnumbered nearly two to one. How did the other guys do?"

They all looked around them at the blood-soaked battlefield and for the first time they realized that they were literally standing on the dead. "From the looks of it," Ivan said as he nonchalantly plucked pieces of skin from his mace, "I'd say forty- to fifty thousand dead for the Meereenese and the rest captured. The Dothraki look to be wiped out or captured."

"That reminds me," Aurora said as she snapped her fingers at remembering something. Turning to Harry she added, "Harry, I got a present for you." This garnered his attention and Aurora continued with a knowing grin, "One of Mengo's bloodriders was an old friend of yours,"

"Horro," Harry growled as he guessed who it was, "I wondered where that slime bag slithered off to after we couldn't find him at Tyrosh."

"Well he showed up here and he and Mengo got themselves captured. He's yours after we take the city." Harry nodded his head in thanks and together they rode back to the front line to form up what remained of their army to march towards the city.

XXX

Oberyn stood upon the walls of Meereen with Dagmer and Alys next to him. The city had been secured and now all that remained was waiting for the army to arrive. Despite their confidence in the Ladies and in the army as a whole, they couldn't help but be a bit concerned. They hadn't watched the legions march off, but from what they had heard it had been a mighty host.

It was now quickly approaching evening and the sun was already getting lower in the sky and still no word had come until… "Look there," Dagmer said suddenly as he pointed to the edge of the canyon. In the softening light they could now see the vanguard of an army riding towards them.

Fifteen minutes later they could distinguish the black and gold banners flapping in the wind. "It's them," Alys sighed relieved while the infantry now marched into the canyon. It took nearly an hour before the army had fully entered the canyon and then the wagons with the wounded came in behind them.

As news of the advancing army spread through the city, the slave population, now set free by the Ironborn and the Pit fighters, surged out of the gates to welcome their liberators.

Meanwhile the Valyrian high command and their cavalry had moved towards the Dothraki camp and upon arrival, Aurora declared to them all, "Mengo and all of his riders are killed or captured, the Meereenese army has been destroyed and their city is taken, you have nowhere to go. If you surrender, your lives will be spared and we will take you with us to Valyria, where you will be free to build a new live for yourselves and live in freedom. If you refuse, we will leave you here to go where you want."

Leaving half their heavy cavalry behind to prevent anyone from making a stupid decision, Aurora and Gabrielle quickly led the others back to the front of their marching army. From halfway down the canyon, the freed slaves swamped both sides of the road and they threw their slave collars to the ground beneath the hooves and feet of the victorious army.

With cheers, applause and jubilations the Valyrians were welcomed into the city by its liberated slave population. The free peoples of the city huddled in their homes and despite the assurances from the Ironborn and Oberyn that they would not be harmed, they still feared for their lives.

Nightfall was near when they finally reached the gates of the city and there they were awaited by Dagmer, Alys, Oberyn and Yagathai. All four made a small bow as they welcomed the High Command to the city.

Ivan was the first to dismount, leaving his helmet hanging on his saddle and he walked up to the Sothoryi. Once he stood before him, looking slightly down on him, he grinned and said, "Good to see you again Yaga."

The Sothoryi nodded in agreement and raised his right arm, Ivan grinned and repeated the move, clasping his arm around Yagathai's. Then, surprising most others, both men beat their foreheads together hard before bursting out laughing. "It's been too long my friend," Ivan grinned, "I've got some stories to tell you."

"And not just to him apparently," Francine said mock-sternly from atop her white charger.

"And that Yaga," Ivan said after a raucous burst of laughter, "is my wife."

"I thought so," the Sothoryi said with a grin that showed a mouth full of pointed teeth, before they were distracted by the Ladies.

"So this is him Ivan?" Aurora asked from atop her black destrier.

"Ivan nodded and said, "He is, This is Yagathai, of the great People of the Dragon Flame."

"Is he now?" Gabrielle asked curiously, "And where, if I might ask did that name come from?"

With a knowing grin Ivan replied, "I think that's a story for another time, right now we should move into the city and secure the last bastion of Slaver's Bay before we stay out here all night."

"He's right," Aurora added, before addressing Yagathai, "Follow us to the Great Pyramid, you'll have a room there and we all want to hear your story."

"Yes Lady," the Sothoryi said with a nod and when they moved on, he followed them into the city.

Author's note :

And this was it, I hope you all liked the battle if so please let me know. I decided to split this chapter into two as the total combined was a bit long for my taste, even for a battle chapter.

The next part will deal with the aftermath of the battle and I hope to post it next week.

As you might have noticed, I have changed the title and the summary of the story, as I thought this would fit better to where I have gone with it.

Hope to see you all next week.