"It seems our plan is falling at the first hurdle, Davos told them aboard the deck of the Fury, his father's flagship. "I regret to inform you, my prince, that the Lannisters have raised a boom chain across the mouth of the Blackwater Rush."

Lyonel slammed his fist onto the table in his cabin. Had he been too slow? Or had they raised the chain before he even returned from Storm's End. Most likely the latter. After all, if the Lannisters had the sense to build a boom chain, the latest they would have begun would have been when his father proclaimed himself king. It would have been a little rushed, but clearly it served. No matter, he would break through, he couldn't fail now.

"How do you know this?" Asked Ser Jonothor Barke, a knight formerly sworn to Renly.

"I know this bay well, my lord," he replied.

Lyonel's ears pricked at the mutterings from behind him, the lords behind him murmured how he gained that experience skirting the law and avoiding men like them. "If you have nothing useful to say," he snapped at them. "Be silent! Continue, Ser Davos." He may have been a smuggler, but he had paid for that crime, and now he was a knight, one more trustworthy than any here.

"Two towers had been erected, one either side of the Rush. I didn't recognise them, when I sailed closer, I saw the boom. Given how the large links of the chain entered the water, the chain is resting just below it. A few cranks and it will be fully raised. The southern tower is more heavily reinforced, at my glance, but the northern tower is in the shadow of the Red Keep, a catapult on the walls as well as support from archers up there and we could be kept at quite a distance."

"Blocking us from the Rush," he finished. "Does father know?"

"He likely knows about the towers, he could hardly miss them," Davos said. "But his grace may not have paid them any heed, they could easily pass as lookout towers."

He sighed. "So the Lannisters have kept the chain lowered to both trap us and to prevent father from learning about it." He contemplated his options. "Could we storm the towers?"

"Not without losses," Davos said. "Many of them."

"We can weather such losses, my prince," said Lord Velaryon. "Let us take the towers and lower this chain."

"We don't need to," Ser Manfryd of Morston replied. "Send word to your father to do so, my prince, he will have a better chance and can overwhelm the southern tower."

His father was certainly capable, and that would be a better option than trying to strike out against the tower from the bay. One failed assault would raise the morale of the enemy greatly, and when they had the advantage of walls and towers, he had to do all he could to remove that from them.

"Davos," he asked the Onion knight. "You got a good look at the enemy fleet behind the chain?"

Davos nodded. "I did," he said. "They numbered many, more than a hundred, but less than half are warships proper, the rest have been gathered to give more numbers to the enemy fleet. Our warships should trample over theirs without trouble."

"Not if we can't get to them," Lord Adrien Celtigar muttered.

"We don't need to get to them," said Ser Ondrew Estermont. Everyone looked at the lowly knight. He was so plain looking that the turtle on his surcoat seemed more impressive. "My Prince, the Rush is not the only entrance to the city. It has four sides, one faces the Rush, another is on a cliff, but the other two, north and west, are open."

"But still untouchable you young-" Lord Velaryon began but Lyonel raised a hand to cut him off.

"Carry on, Ser Ondrew," he said.

The knight bowed. "Yes, my prince. The Lannisters have blocked us off from the Rush, to be sure, but not from the rest of the bay, and they have done nothing to hinder the movements of your father. Send word to him. Bring his host to us and we can transport it in full across the bay. Land it north of the city and the Lannister's boom chain will mean nothing."

He couldn't help but let a smile grace his features at the thought. The Lannisters ambitions foiled so completely, spending time and effort on a boom chain and two towers rather than swords and spears. Useful to be sure, but he could make it useless to them. That would make the coming victory all the sweeter. But there was a problem.

"It is not a bad plan, Ser Ondrew," Lyonel conceded. "But there are problems, only apparent to those who do not know the Bay as I and others do."

"What problems?" Ser Manfryd asked.

Lyonel pulled out a map of the bay and unfurled it. "When crossing the Rush, the water flows from west to east," he said, drawing his finger along the line of it. "The water isn't aiding you, but it isn't acting against you, either. But out in the bay it's a different tale. It flows out of the Rush and then turns south. The Spears of the Merling King provide a barrier north of Driftmark and Dragonstone. To the south is the Gullet, the clear way out into the Narrow Sea. It is to there that the water flows. We are here, at the mouth of the Wendwater. For us to cross the bay, we would first have to push through the water flowing south as we try to sail north. Then we'd be in calm waters, to be sure, but remember, we're in a bay, there is no wind to speak of, certainly not north to south. And we will be weighted down by the arms, armour and possibly horses of the men on board. We don't have the ships to transport the entire host at once, perhaps a quarter, particularly if we want to maintain ships to protect against any kind of attack by Lannister ships poised up the bay to sweep down on us."

"How many could we transport per day, my prince?" Ser Davos asked.

He tapped his knuckles on the table, closing his eyes in thought. If they forsook the horses... and committed as many transports as possible... factoring in time to load the ships and unload them at the other end... and making sure they landed far enough north of the city that sorties from knights behind the walls couldn't disrupt them. "Four thousand," he replied, "on the first trip. Fewer on the second, we would need to maintain a force of ships there to evacuate them if the enemy are seen to be stronger than we had thought."

There was a moment of silence. "Then what shall we do, my prince?" Asked the Red Crab of Celtigar.

He could rush the towers, then swarm into the Rush and transport his father's army that way. But how much sweeter would it be to make the Lannister defensive effort obsolete? "Send word to my father," he said. "Tell him that breaking through the Boom Chain is going to be too difficult for my fleet. We'll transport his men on the ships north of the city."

()()()

By the time they had gathered around four thousand men onto their ships, with all their arms and armour, it was well passed mid day, at this rate the return journey would likely be happening in the dark.

He had no men for transport on Fury. His men were manning the scorpions on the right side, with his archers there as well. He'd sent his deckhands to the left side, the side facing the city, to balance it out. He glanced to the Boom as they passed, the chain was still lowered. The enemy ships were moving behind it, turning and rowing up and down the Rush, they seemed to be readying themselves, perhaps they still thought he was rushing them, planning to swarm the boom chain, if so, they were mistaken. If the command of the defence was being led by anyone competent, it was likely they were just taken precautions.

He had mostly a clear line to the city and cliffs beneath it. Only a few ships, Dog's Nose, Queen Alysanne, Princess Rhaenys and Swift Sword floated between Fury and the city. Other ships covered the main fleet further forwards and backwards that he couldn't quite identify, a thin line to keep watch over the boom. On the other side there were many more ships: Of his two hundred, one hundred had been assigned to the transportation, mostly the commandeered vessels from merchants, of which he had fifty three, their big holds transporting sixty men and their arms and armour. Twenty four cogs carrying thirty to forty and the rest of the transports were two or three level galleys, ships with at least five boats that could be used to land the men on the coast, he didn't want them having to make more than one trip with the smaller boats to drop off all the men. Past them were the main warships of the fleet. At the head was Davos Seaworth and his squadron, Black Betha at the head, the Lady Marya and Wraith to either side, captained by his sons Dale and Allard, and Lyonel's own vessel, Sea Stag, with them as well. Since he had command of the Fury, the flagship, he had granted Mathos command of that. Five other galleys, Water Lance, Iron Doom, Robert's Wrath, Dragonbane and Swiftsail followed on behind them, as well as several others that he couldn't see behind other ships. He had sailed alongside Iron Doom and Swiftsail many times before, Iron Doom had been built just prior to the Greyjoy Rebellion, finished two days after news of the Lannister Fleet"s destruction. Named for both the war that was to follow and the great iron ram fixed to the front. He had seen it cleave a pirate ship in two with the ram. Swiftsail was lighter than most, a compliment of archers it's main defence, but the vessel was faster than any other in the fleet. Behind Davos' squadron was that of Lord Velaryon: Pride of Driftmark at the head, with Seahorse, Harridan and Bold Laughter, Lord Velaryon's vessels, and two others, Salt Heart and Wave Rider, were being captained by men from Driftmark, and were part of his squadron on the sea. Others were there as well, just like Davos' squadron. Held in the middle of the line was the force under Davos" pirate friend Sallador Saan. They were skilled and fearless fighters and seamen, Davos assured him, so they were in a position to counter a Lannister force that came from north or south. They had swept Massey's Hook on their way to the Wendwater, but it was still possible Lannister ships were there, but it was more likely they were on Cape Wrath, so he had put the Seaworths and the Velaryons closest to the front to counter an assault before it could strike the transports. Behind Saan were the ships of Celtigar, Bar Emmon, and their squadrons, and the rest of the Royal Fleet.

They made a magnificent display, one that would have been more impressive with the sails unfurled. But since there was no wind in the bay, they served no purpose, so they were curled up still.

He leant over the edge to see the oars at work. They were clearly struggling to pull through the water, but it was the only way for them to move at all, so he just needed a little patience. It may take him a day, but he would land the army there.

They inched forward, the droning of oars and their splashes in the water accompanying the heavy beats of the drummers to keep the men rowing in time. Many of the knights and men at arms and archers that made up the first wave would no doubt be chomping at the bit to get into battle. But he was a sailor and he knew that these things sometimes took time.

He kept his gaze focussed on the west, looking for any sign of activity from his ships on that flank that hinted that the enemy were there and attacking, but no attack came, not even as they cleared the Rush and pressed on into calmer waters that weren't acting against them so much.

"My Prince!" Cried one of the men on the other side of the ship, suddenly. He turned. The man was gesturing rapidly to his side. "We're under attack!"

But that was impossible, the enemy couldn't have sailed from that side. He rushed over, catching himself on the rails.

He cursed. How could he have been so stupid? He had seen it! He had seen it all and completely misread it. The boom chain wasn't half lowered to lure his ships in, it was half lowered to allow their ships out. And they were coming.

The Lannister ships were emerging from the Rush, and they had the current of the river to carry them on. The first few ships were capped at the tip with rams, one and two hundred oar vessels. Four of them, like the lances of knights they were charging at his rear. Behind them he saw a hulking vessel he recognised very well. King Robert's Hammer, the largest ship in the Fleet, a four hundred oar monstrosity. The only vessel he had that could match it was the Fury, but the Hammer wasn't coming for him, it was attacking his rear. He looked to his rear. It was going from bad to worse. As the front and centre of his fleet had pressed on passed the current that held them back, they had left the rear vessels exposed.

"Signal the rest of the fleet!" He yelled. "They are to press onwards, they are not to break, they must escort the transports to their destination! We will turn and face the enemy!" He had ten ships with him in his squadron, and the thin line he had left on the east side of the fleet were already turning. As long as this wasn't turned into a sea battle, he could still transport the men. He rushed to his cabin to retrieve his bow and quiver. A sea battle victory here wouldn't win them anything. They may utterly destroy the enemy fleet, but it wouldn't serve their purpose of delivering a force north of the city.

He caught sight of the favour Shireen had granted him, hanging limp and lifeless around his arm. He leant down and kissed it before rushing back out. The ships in his squadron were beginning to turn. With a sudden feeling of dread he wondered if he had given them enough space, or whether they'd crush themselves against the cliff.

He put an arrow to his bow string and watched. "Half the archers, on this side, and man these scorpions, get men on the catapults!" He roared as they swung around. More Lannister ships were emerging. Not just cogs and galleys but merchantmen as well, they had been commandeered for war. They were acting as a shield, an attempt to prevent him from swinging around and cutting the fleet off. It wouldn't help them much, his best ships, and the Fury especially, could trample over them like ants. But he had to target the warships, try to stop them before they got to his transports.

When they had completed half of their turn, he saw the Lannister vanguard connect with his flagging rear. The first ship with its ram, he recognised as Lady's Shame. He could only assume the other ramming ship was its sister vessel, Lady of Silk. Lady's Shame's target was lucky, it had began turning to face its foe so the iron ram hit its rear, forcing the ship to turn faster. Glints of sunlight on metal arcing through the sky told him both vessels were grappling and pulling close for boarding. Lady of Silk powered directly into the side of Princess Rhaenys. The vessel wasn't sheared in two, but one side of it was caved in heavily and it began to take on water and list. Lady of Silk started backing water, ready to ram again, or choose a new target, he didn't know.

His fingers twitched near his bow string, but he wasn't close yet. He didn't think so, no, he'd wait to be certain before he shot. The scorpions were cranked backwards and the large, yard long bolts were placed in them, ready to shoot. They closed on the enemy. Lady Silk sailed around the back of the sinking Princess Rhaenys, making for the heart of the fleet. A stone from one of the catapults on King Robert's Hammer landed just short of Golden Arrowhead, whose captain replied with a volley of arrows, all falling short. Most of his fleet seemed to be pressing onwards to the north, they kept their formation. He was glad. If lords bannermen had been commanding them, most would no doubt be turning for the emerging battle. But his captains were veterans, many having served at Fair Isle and the Greyjoy Rebellion, and they had served his father for years, knowing the importance of obedience. The battle between Lady's Shame and the ship he recognised as Seapike was still raging, and was a mistake on the Lannister part. It had created a rock around which they now had to sail to hit his transports, and Seapike's crew were putting up fierce resistance.

"Target the Lion's Roar!" He called, the hundred oar galley was steaming for the other side of Seapike, it meant to sandwich it and swarm it from two sides. But to do that it had sailed too close to Fury. Three heavy scorpion bolts launched at three angles, as was common, they would determine the range they were at for the next volley. The first two fell short, but the third slammed into the deck. "Third angle!" He called and the other scorpions on that side of the ship aimed their bolts and launched.

His men cranked back the strings to load fresh bolts to attack the enemy. He could probably hit their ship from here, but what would be the point. What could one arrow do, he couldn't make out any of the men on that ship. But that was not true of Seapike, where the crew still attempted to battle back the enemy. Their archers were on the other deck, and had free reign to shoot at his men. He raised his bow and loosed, his arrow soaring straight and true and lancing through his chest. His next arrow was already at his strings and he loosed another. One by one, he picked off the archers. "Prince!"

He turned. Lion's Roar was backing water, the perfect chance to disrupt the enemy. "Oil in the catapults!" He roared. "Archers suppress the enemy on Lady's Shame." A dozen men stepped up and raised their bows.

Two barrels of oil were launched into the air, twisting and turning. One of them landed in the sea, but the other landed on the deck of Lion's Roar as it retreated. They kept moving. "Again!" He called. He wrapped cloth around the end of an arrow and held it over a fire. This time, when the barrels went flying, he raised his bow and shot, the flaming arrow planting into one of the barrels, which turned twice more before it exploded. Fire rained down on the deck of the ship, the other barrel being splattered with flames before exploding as well, more fire pouring onto the enemy ship, the oil already there being lit as well. The oars, which had been so ordered became like the flailing legs of a spider as the rowers rushed to get away from the flames. Several men, coated in flames, were leaping overboard into the salvation of the bay. The Lion's Roar pushed onwards, the momentum of the rowers carrying it into the enemy fleet, whose ships turned to try and escape it. Eventually it would be pulled south-east by the current, but by then, his fleet would be passed and the blackened hulk would be carried into the Narrow Sea. The enemy seemed to have had enough of this sortie. He didn't know how many of his ships they had destroyed, but the Lion's Roar was not the only vessel in flames and Princess Rhaenys, now only a mast above the waves, was not the only one sinking. King Robert's Hammer was leading them, backing water into the Rush, scorpions and Catapults still shooting at them, other ships passing by.

Antler Prow and Devotion pounced on the enemy, Antler Prow smashing into a merchantman, splintering the wood upon impact, while Devotion pursued the Queen Cersei through the water. "Hold shots," he called. "Preserve them for future battles." He watched the enemy retreat behind the Boom Chain, which was raised just in time to catch Devotion. The ship took several volleys of arrows before breaking free and backing water away from the chain. But less than five strokes of the oars later, and the vessel was sundered as a rock that could only have come from King Robert's Hammer smashed through its hull and it sank to the bottom of the bay.

He shook his head, turning to the other side to see what damage had been done.

At least six warships of his had been destroyed in the opening skirmish. Devotion, Princess Rhaenys and Pure Wave, he could see were destroyed or gone. He saw two others taking on water rapidly and one was aflame. The crew may be battling the flames and the ship may be saved, he couldn't tell.

In return, they had taken two of the enemy warships. Lion's Roar was a floating pyre, no life to it. While that ship had tried to sandwich the Seapike, it hadn't worked and Prayer had instead grappled on the other side of Lady's Shame and turned the tide, even now the colours of King Joffrey were being pulled down. However, it was likely that Seapike had lost much of its crew in the battle on the boats. When it pulled away, it was limping like it had been hamstringed.

But at least seven transports had been destroyed, burning or sinking, with the men on them, a price for his sin? Fellow ships were launching boats to try and save as many as possible, but he knew many would be dead. They had destroyed three or four of the enemy commandeered merchantmen, but they were Lannister shields for the warships, not vessels intended to be key to their battle plan.

"My Prince," he turned to find his Oarmaster waiting for him. "What are your orders?"

He glanced back at the boom chain, now fully raised, blocking the entrance to the Rush, dripping water like blood. "Turn us around, and bring us back in line with the fleet," he told him.

The Oarmaster nodded and gave out the calls.

He looked back to the Rush again, gripping the rails of the vessel until his knuckles turned white.

"Try that again, Lannisters," he whispered. "Next time I'll be ready for you. You won't catch me like that again."