A/N: Hi, guys! Been going through some personal and professional setbacks, but I am still doing this.
Kaijin stood on the deck as he scanned the first of the enemy fleet that were about to do battle with them. This was not his first time in combat, but he knew the importance of this first clash, as it would be the first time that the Jade Company's fleets would be tested against another opponent. "Father, watch over me," he whispered to himself.
Thanks to Daenerys Targaryen's subduing of Qarth, the journey through there after the fleet departed from Asabhad was uneventful, as the Qartheans were wise enough to not resist Daenerys Targaryen a second time, especially when she came with a massive force of ships and hardened soldiers. They made good speed towards New Ghis and once they were able to bypass the island, sailing into the Slaver's Bay would be straightforward.
But Kaijin, like Daeron, Daenerys, Benjen, Minoru Lim and even the Hound, knew that the key to winning any battle was information and they had to know of the enemy's strength before they fought them. Consequently, both Daeron and Daenerys flew on their dragons ahead of the fleet and were back within a day.
"We should thank ourselves, for we are applying our lessons well." Daeron then pointed to the map of Slaver's Bay, which included New Ghis. "It would appear that the slavers know that we are coming and have anchored a fleet there, mostly Volantene vessels from their banners, on New Ghis' northern coast. It is obvious that they intended to use our intended approach as a bottleneck."
"We could sail around New Ghis, but we would have less time to reinforce my supporters in Meereen," Daenerys said. "They have been besieged for long enough, so we must relieve them as soon as possible."
"Agreed," Benjen concurred. "So the only way is to force our way through. Battle ship by ship, sword by sword."
"If I might ask, why can't we use the dragons to burn the fleet there?" Gendry asked. "It will save us a battle and we can even increase our speed to Slaver's Bay."
Kaijin was about to ask that question, before Daenerys spoke up. "We could, but remember this. Dragons are great in battle, but they are not the answer to everything. Only when they are supported by many others can they cause the most damage."
"And importantly," Daeron joined in. "The dragons have to protect the fleet and maintain pace. If the dragons move too fast, the fleet will be exposed. We also must caution against overusing the dragons, for too much dependence will become a weakness that our enemies will exploit."
Everyone nodded their heads, seeing the sense in their words.
"Maybe it is time we introduce our enemies to long-range combat," Kaijin suggested.
"You mean using cannons to engage them?" Minoru Lim inquired.
"Exactly. They will never know what hit them, as they would rely on boarding our ships before we could sink them. With our guns, we can sink multiple vessels without a single man lost."
Daeron smiled, nodding in approval. "I like that. How many ships would you need?"
"You say that there are seventy vessels, mostly Volantene ones, at New Ghis?" Daeron nodded. "Give me forty and I will have them all sent to the bottom of the ocean."
After the strategy was agreed upon, Kaijin selected the forty fastest ships in the fleet, all of them armed with cannons, and they made good speed towards the island. And sure enough, Kaijin and the captains saw seventy Volantene and slaver ships anchored just off of New Ghis' northern coast. Kaijin was aware that they would never willingly leave their positions, the enemy believing that they had the advantage if they had to remain static.
So, Kaijin ordered his flagship forward and sailed until it was in effective range of their guns. Once they were loaded, the lead marine ran up to him. "Cannon ready!"
"Open fire!" Kaijin ordered. Upon his word, Slaver's Bay was rocked for the first time with the sound of black powder igniting and pushing its deadly projectiles forward.
The first projectile crashed into the sides of the four ships closest to his flagship. Their triangular sails fell down as their masts were ripped and the hulls breached.
"Oars out! Get to our port side!" Kaijin commanded. Even though the ships of the Jade Company could fight on open water, they were originally intended to combat enemy ships in tight spaces near the coast, which was where they were fighting in currently. The vessel was able to quickly turn to its port side, with the cannons ready loaded. "Fire volley!"
More projectiles found their mark, as more Volantene and slaver ships were hit and sinking. Kaijin wanted to keep up a constant stream of cannonballs raining down on the enemy fleet, sinking more than a few ships with each volley while the rest would be provoked to charge forward. From Kaijin's spyglass, he could count at six vessels sinking and a dozen more damaged, causing a smile of pride to form on his face. Very good start, he thought.
Eventually, the enemy must have grown too angry that they were the first to take casualties, for Kaijin saw that they raised their anchors and sailed towards them.
"They are coming! Signal the rest of the ships to join up with me and unleash on my command!" One of the sailors complied by raising the red flag, signaling to the other ships to reinforce the flagship. "Keep firing!"
Soon enough, all forty ships began to fire on the enemy vessels, inflicting multiple hits while dozens were sinking with each distance they managed to close. However, as Daeron and Daenerys were busy protecting the main fleet, it was inevitable that some would manage to close the distance eventually, with one slaver ship closing on Kaijin's port side, close enough for the enemy crew to throw ropes and climb onto their ship.
"Here they come," Kaijin observed as he drew his sword. "Prepare for combat!"
Sure enough, the Slaver ship was parallel to theirs and the enemy threw hooks onto their sides, tightening their hold on Kaijin's flagship. As the two ships grew closer, they saw Essosi sailors yell in anticipation for the coming onslaught. However, Kaijin took the initiative and jumped onto the ship before any of them could jump on his.
Kaijin landed on the deck and swung his sword around in a circle, cutting down a few sailors while forcing others back to avoid being cut. That gave the marines and the sailors the chance to jump onto the slaver vessel and engage the enemy sailors. Kaijin swung his blade downwards, leaving a cut so deep that he could almost see the sailor's lungs and ribs as he bled out.
Kaijin turned around just in time for to parry two sailors axe strikes, their axe heads attempting to hook onto his sword and pull it from his hands. However, Kaijin pushed the blade against them and made them stumble backwards. Before they could recover, he swept the blade against their legs, the steel proving its worth by seamlessly cutting their bones and slicing off them. He finished them off with a swing in the opposite direction, which cut across their chests and left a deep enough cut to sever their major blood arteries.
Kaijin saw a slaver attempting to sneak onto the captain of his flagship, who had also joined in on the fighting, and he reacted quickly by piercing his back with his katana and pushing him away.
"Watch you back!" Kaijin warned.
"Thank you, Prince Kaijin," the captain managed to say.
"Just keep fighting! Save it for later!"
Both of them continued to cut through the slaver-aligned crew like a hot knife through butter. Kaijin saw the captain parry an enemy's sword thrust with a dagger before stabbing him in the heart with his own katana. He then spun around and cut a man's throat with his dagger before decapitating him. As for Kaijin, he continued to swing away with his blade with all of the strength he could muster. He kicked a slaver in the shin, forcing his torso and face down, before Kaijin sliced upward by grabbing onto the hilt and blade carefully as if it were a pole. He finished him off with a downward thrust into his back before kicking him off of his blade.
However, Kaijin saw that the men who jumped with him were too few to take on the entire crew of the enemy ship despite their combat prowess. They could not risk the ship getting captured, with all of its armaments on board.
Thinking fast, Kaijin jumped back onto his ships and pulled out a ceramic case filled with black powder. "Blow them!" he shouted as he and the other crew and marines lit theirs and threw onto the slaver ship, killing many instantly while the flagship was able to avoid getting damaged after Kaijin cut the ropes. The amount of ceramic casings proved too much for the ship, as the slaver's vessel started to sink.
Kaijin looked upon the rest of the enemy fleet and saw that they had nearly wiped them out. Counting his ships, he saw that they suffered no ships lost and the crew of his flagship suffered only a few dead. What remained of the many ships on the enemy side were aflame and were slowly sinking into their watery graves. The corpses of the dead and barely living floated on the surface, all of them trying in vain to grasp one more moment of being alive before sinking into the darkness. For those unlucky to die in the water, their fleshed was cooked slowly as the fires got them. Screams could be heard, who they belonged to being irrelevant at the moment.
Kaijin looked up and saw that the dragons were flying above them, Meleys and Drogon flying in a circle, while he looked eastwards and saw that the rest of the fleet were just about to arrive.
"Get some boats ready and let us land on New Ghis," Kajin commanded, not intending the celebrate the great victory that they had just achieved. "We will hunt down any survivors."
Varys reread the report from the stragglers who managed to make it back to Astapor, which told of the new force from the east. While Qarth was wise enough to not resist them, there were a few Qartheans left who were resentful enough of Daenerys Targaryen to become part of his many little birds and they estimated a fleet carrying tens of thousands of soldiers, with the ships themselves heavily armed.
Any fleet of that size would be a source of great concern, particularly if one did not know the destination of that force. However, what caused the most concern for Varys was that the sails had the arms of House Targaryen on them, with the letters or characters indicating that they were from Yi-Ti. The Qarthean little birds also reported that there were two dragons flying above them, one definitely being the black mount of Daenerys Targaryen and the other a red one. If the rumors were true, this was Meleys the Red Queen Reborn, and its rider was Daeron Targaryen, the supposed son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark.
Eddard Stark, you conniving shit, Varys cursed the dead head of House Stark. When he first heard the rumors of Daeron Targaryen having been disguised as Jon Snow, Varys could not believe that such an important factor was hidden from his eyes. But Rhaegar Targaryen managing to produce a male heir of House Targaryen, a trueborn one if he truly married Lyanna Stark, would very much undermine all of his plans. People only rallied to his nephew because they believe him as the only male heir of House Targaryen. At the very best, Daeron Targaryen would be a competitor to that claim. At the very worst, which was a very likely possibility, the fact that Daeron Targaryen already claimed a dragon would buttress his claim on the Iron Throne. His nephew from Sarra not only did not have a dragon, but he was also proving more difficult to work with and Varys was not blind as to the grumbling from the slave masters and the tigers. I really should have watched more closely over his training and upbringing.
The flagship of both the Targaryen dragonriders was identified among the others as having a black sail with the three-headed dragon in jade, the distinctive color of Yi-Ti. Using that information combined with others, Varys was certain that the Golden Empire, the land of a thousand cities, were supporting the claims of these Targaryens. How both Daeron and Daenerys Targaryen managed to pull that off was something that Varys could not quite understand, but it was largely irrelevant since they now had a formidable host under their leadership. And with that amount of troops under their command, it also meant that they had enough coin to last a long campaign. If only I was able to have birds in Yi-Ti, so that I could have sabotaged them.
Once Varys received the report, he alerted Malaquo Maegyr and the other slave masters of the new threat coming. In response, Maegyr sent seventy ships to block them at New Ghis, confident that they would be use to the narrowness of the passage to their advantage. However, the stragglers reported that they only faced forty ships, equipped with long-range weaponry ignited with smoke and launching iron balls straight into their hulls. By the time that the battle was over, not a single Yi-Tish ship was sunk while all of those sent by Maegyr went to the watery graves. To make matters, whoever was in charge landed on New Ghis and unleashed his troops on the survivors, with the coasts covered in blood. Only a few were able to escape and they were the ones who told Varys what had happened.
But forty ships? I thought those Qartheans said that nearly six hundred vessels. Varys opened his eyes at the implication and realized just how dangerous this new threat was, especially since the enemy force did not have dragons with them.
Varys went to the meeting area of the slave masters and the Volantene tigers in Astapor, where he presented his report with his nephew atop his makeshift throne.
"And you say that these ships did not have dragons helping them?" Harry Strickland could not believe it.
"That is what the survivors say," Varys answered. "Not one enemy ship was sunk even though they were outnumbered."
Malaquo and the slave masters whispered amongst each other while Varys' nephew kept a blank face.
"So… New Ghis has fallen?" Razmal mo Eraz was shocked.
"I am afraid so," Varys confirmed.
"With New Ghis, they will now strike against us," Belicho Paenymion assessed. "The dragon whore and her new prince."
Varys' nephew slammed his fist on his armrest in anger. "Prince? He is no prince! He is merely a bastard born from a northern wretch, and no brother of mine!"
Oh, nephew. You are more correct than you know, Varys thought sadly.
"With respect, King Aegon," Harry Strickland addressed him. "His status does not matter at this point. What matters is that the dragonriders are coming with a powerful fleet and army, possibly more capable in combat than any of us here if the stragglers are to believed. And if we must be reminded, the Golden Empire in the land of a thousand cities is an advanced civilization. Who knows what sort of men and weapons they bring with them?"
"The stragglers are calling their weapons 'smoke lances,'" Varys stated. "For good reason."
"What do we know about their weapons?" Jon Connington asked.
"For the ones that were unleashed on them, the stragglers said they were only able to get within one thousand and five hundred feet before they were struck by their iron balls and sunk. As you can guess, that is beyond the effective range of any weapons that we have right now."
Fear spread among the council. Although they would not admit it, they knew that they were becoming outclassed by the equipment brought over by this force.
"We must respond then," Yezzan zo Qaggaz suggested.
"How?" The other masters sneered on Qaggaz for his low birth and they were almost about to dismiss whatever he had to say.
"Let him speak," Jon Connington raised his hand. Varys glared at Jon Connington, the exile whose feelings for the dead Rhaegar were obvious and he was steadily replacing him as his nephew's confidant.
"We must accelerate our plans then. Strike Meereen with everything that we have and not allow them breathing space. They have been particularly effective in countering our screening parties, but we have to hit them with full force. No more delays, no more waiting around here. We have take that city, so as to deny the dragon queen anything that she can use to claim that she rules over us."
Varys listened and he was surprised at one of the slave masters actually giving a good idea. From the looks of Harry Strickland and Jon Connington, both of them approved.
"But what about Yunkai? Astapor?" Paenymion shot back. "Are we going to empty them after all of our efforts in trying to get them back?"
"If the dragon queen manages to return to Meereen with these new armies and then do battle against us, everything that we have done will be for naught," zo Qaggaz pointed out. "Not only will we face two dragonriders from the south, but if the reports are true, it is very likely that Rhaenys Targaryen will support her aunt and her half-brother with her own dragon. It is the three-headed dragon reborn, and we will lose."
"I concur," Malaquo Maegyr surprised everyone. "I did not come here to fight the dragon whore and her forces. I came to win and capturing Meereen will secure our victory in Slaver's Bay. With her loyal supporters captured or dead, the rest will collapse and Daenerys Targaryen will no longer have a base of support here. All of her actions will be reversed and she will be forced to leave. We must attack."
Despite Maegyr's earlier disdain for Varys, he found himself agreeing with the lead tiger. And he can see that his nephew was also being persuaded with the idea of a full-on assault on Meereen.
"We must also find a way to counter these 'smoke lances.' If we do not find a countermeasure, we will be slaughtered," Varys stated.
"Perhaps… if we face them on land instead of out on sea, we might have a chance. Allow them a volley, if their tactics are similar to archer shooting, and then charge with our elephants and horsemen before they get another one off," Harry Strickland offered.
"I will come up with the necessary specifics to that," Malaquo said. "I shall talk with the stragglers in more depth and develop the tactics necessary to deny the enemy the range advantage."
"It is settled then," Varys' nephew decided. "By morning tomorrow, we march everyone and everything up north towards Meereen. Decide how many troops will be needed to maintain order in Yunkai and Astapor while we storm my aunt's center."
Mo Eraz was not pleased, as was Paenymion. "King Aegon, we must protest."
"You dare to question the king?" Jon Connington stood up in anger. "Remember that everything you lost will be granted back to you, in exchange for your loyalty and obedience. You would do well to remember that."
"And why should we follow the words of a greyscaled failure and exile?" Paenymion raised his voice as he also stood and walked to Jon Connington, their noses almost touching while anger filled their eyes.
"Enough!" Varys' nephew barked before he too stood up from his throne. "I will not tolerate dissent amongst the ranks." He glared at Paenymion. "Express a contrary opinion again in a time like this, you will be punished."
"And what makes you think that you can punish us?" mo Eraz scoffed. "The only reason why you are a force here is because of men like me and Master Paenymion here. Without us, you are just another dragon without an actual one and no business being here."
Jon Connington bared his teeth before he punched mo Eraz in the cheek. It took Harry Strickland holding him back and Paenymion being restrained for a brawl among the leaders allied to Vary's nephew to be prevented.
"You have your orders. I suggest you follow them," Varys calmly told them. The slave masters gave Jon Connington a death glare before leaving the area while Harry Strickland moved to assemble the Golden Company. Besides Varys himself, only Jon Connington and Varys' nephew remained.
"Thank you, Lord Varys, for not showing dissent in front of the others." Sarra's son had lost most of his trust in Varys after Rhaenys fled, which he had to work hard to gain back.
"You are my king," Varys stated. "It is only right that I follow your words without question."
"That is an attitude that I wish the others have," Sarra's son sighed sadly.
"But do not forget your failure, eunuch," Jon Connington's arrogance grew as Varys was humbled. "You made our position more complicated by your inability to retain the trust of Rhaegar's daughter. You still have much work to do."
"I answer to the king, not you," Varys bit back.
"That is correct, and Lord Connington is right," Sarra's son stepped forward. "You have done great service to me, but I am remembering to trust the man who was with me all these years while you were not there. There are many things that you do not know about me, so you should just follow my orders."
If only I could tell him the truth, Varys thought impulsively. That was one of the things that bothered Varys, for he could not think logically when it came to the son of his deceased sister.
"I hope that after Meereen falls and you are on the Iron Throne, the trust you had for me will be restored," Varys expressed hopefully.
To his relief, Sarra's son patted his shoulder. "Once I am king and the rest of my family dealt with, that will be your reward."
Rhaenys watched as the Yi-Tish messenger stood in front of her and the other leaders of Meereen. To say that all of them were shocked at what this man had to say would not do it justice, because the effects of this man's words mixed both relief and shock amongst them all.
"Are you certain?" Robb Stark could not believe it. "They are coming?"
The Yi-Tish man nodded. "What I have said is the truth, Robb Stark. I have no reason to lie to anyone present here, especially to those that the ones I serve are allied to the ones in charge here."
"You might be right, but why should we trust a stranger like yourself?" Daario had to ask. "For all we know, you could be here to try to spread false hope and information among our ranks."
Rhaenys, to her surprise, found Barristan Selmy nodding in agreement. "I have learned that when words are too good to be true, they usually are. I will welcome the return of our queen, but the other words that you have said do not make sense."
"Believe me if you wish, but what is for certain is that the troops sailing from the Golden Empire will soon engage your enemies in full force soon," the Yi-Tish man said. "As both Queen Daenerys and King Daeron have expected you to disbelieve such seemingly fantastical statements, they will fly here on their dragons before the day is out so that they can prove their words true."
Missandei and Grey Worm were quickly hopeful, for their queen was returning. For Robb Stark, he was trying very hard to conceal his happiness at seeing the one who was raised with him at Winterfell again. Barristan Selmy and Tyrion were naturally skeptical since the both of them became hardened from being encircled for so long. Daario Naharis was not pleased at the news, specifically the part that said that Daenerys Targaryen, the one with whom he shared a bed with, was married to another dragonrider.
For Rhaenys, she could not tell what she felt. She was happy to see more of her family again, but she did not know what to expect. If they were coming, it would be the first that they would actually see each other face to face instead of through the fire connections. If they were coming, she could not tell if she was going to embrace them like the blood they were or if she was going to keep them at a distance because she grew up in one way and they grew up another. She never had feelings of affection for the one who dared to call herself her full brother, but the thought of being the only Targaryen left in the world was both sad and liberating for her. The existence of more Targaryens in the world made her relieved, for the dragonlords would not die with her. But on the other hand, she spent so much time guarding herself, protecting herself, and treating everyone with suspicion that the thought of letting all of that go was daunting for her at the least.
I accused Daenerys of not being there when I needed her. Even though it was not her fault, there is still some distance between us, and that is not going to go away anytime soon, Rhaenys thought.
"What do Queen Daenerys and Daeron Targaryen bring in terms of manpower?" the captain-general of the Company of the Rose asked.
"Fifty thousand men in total," the Yi-Tish messenger replied. "Among them are three thousand Jogos Nhai and others from the tribes of the Golden Empire's northern reaches, comparable to the Dothraki if what I hear about them are true."
"They are," Daario answered. "But pray tell me. How can fifty thousand men be enough to face an army that is already outnumbered by our enemies?"
The Yi-Tish messenger, despite being blind and walking with a cane, turned his head in the direction of Daario. "Perhaps you have heard of the clash off the coast of New Ghis?"
"Yes, we have heard the reports. Word travels fast in these parts," Tyrion said.
"Forty ships faced seventy slaver and Volantene vessels, and not one of our own was sunk," the Yi-Tish messenger said. "Not only that, the man in charge of those ships put every survivor that they found on New Ghis to the sword, showing that we are not to be trifled with. That also equals over eight thousand enemy sailors and troops dead while we only lost a hundred men, all of them after we started to go after them on the Ghiscari island. You will find that we are more than capable of fighting against unfavorable odds."
Rhaenys nodded, as did the others except Daario. "Remind us again. What is your name?"
"Hoon Ti," the messenger responded.
"What is your relationship to Queen Daenerys and Daeron Targaryen?" Rhaenys asked. "You are blind, so I am not sure how you are able to represent them."
Hoon Ti chuckled derisively, surprising them all. "If you think that my lack of sight has made me incapacitated, you better ask who is more blind between the two of us."
"Why do you say that?" Rhaenys was intrigued.
"Your eyes can deceive you, as I have had to learn. If you trust what you can see, you are living the life of a fool. We all wear masks, but I am not going to elaborate more on that because the philosophy of life is not something that I am here to discuss about." Hoon Ti moved on. "To answer your question, I trained them both on how to fight with their hands and legs, because that is what they will have to use when they have no weapons."
Daario scoffed, earning Hoon Ti's unseeing glare. "You must be jesting. What does a blind man know about fighting?"
Adding to Rhaenys' surprise, Barristan was also disbelieving despite being old and having survived being a knight while many died young.
Hoon Ti ignored him. "As a blind man, I was able to move past the blockade set up by your enemies because as many of you would believe, how can someone like me be threatening? However, I come bearing tidings, which I hope all of you are wise enough to heed."
The captain of the Wolf Pack made his voice heard. "What is the current strategy of the men from the Golden Empire?"
"Finally, another sensible question. As we have secured New Ghis, we will move into the Slaver's Bay itself. While Queen Daenerys and King Daeron will fly here to Meereen, their troops will also move begin battling with your enemies further south. The plan is to squeeze them from north and south while also wiping out their fleet. Once that is settled, cleaning up the remnants will be straightforward," Hoon Ti explained.
"And what is the plan for this false pretender?" Robb Stark asked. "As long as people believe him to be the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Elia Martell, there will be those who will continue to rally to his cause."
"As soon as he has no more troops to rely on, he will be dealt with through a process to prove whether or not he has dragon's blood," Hoon Ti revealed. "But how that will happen, I am not sure."
"What about the Volantene tigers?" Barristan inquired. "Even if we do defeat them here, we cannot allow them to fall back to Volantis after all of the damage they have caused."
"That is a step that will be reached once all of this region is secured," Hoon Ti replied. "We have to be thorough in defeating the enemy here before we can move onto their base."
Tyrion clapped his hands together. "All right, then. I think while this is all good, we must prepare for the return of Queen Daenerys and also welcome Daeron Targaryen here. It still feels strange to call him that, for I knew him as Jon Snow from the first time that I met him."
"I never called him that," Hoon Ti said. "It would appear that you and your other people are more gullible than I thought."
Tyrion took offense. "At least I can see and fuck my way through a brothel while you probably do not know where to put your hands."
Hoon Ti shook his head derisively. "Whoring yourself to a brothel tells of great insecurity on your part, particularly if you have always been under the thumb of your family. Was it your father that made your life so difficult?"
Tyrion's eyes widened in anger as he froze at that insult.
"Enough," Robb Stark stopped them. "We have to prepare for the arrival of two dragonriders. Let us focus on that."
The whole of Meereen cheered at the news of Daenerys' return. With her return after so long, things might be bright again for all of those whose chains were removed. The celebrations only became stronger after they heard the familiar roars of Drogon break through the air. Soon enough, both Drogon and a red dragon that no one had seen before appeared in the sky, flying over a city that was overwhelmingly relieved at seeing their protection return.
For Rhaenys, she stood in anticipation while she had her green dragon, Rhaegal, brought out alongside Viserion. Both roared in greeting to Drogon and their new red companion, while Rhaenys and the others who gathered outside of the Pyramid of Meereen were able to make out the silver hair of Daenerys and the raven black hair of the newcomer rider.
Rhaenys scratched the snout of Rhaegel, which quickly became her way to show her nervousness to her mount when she could not show it to anyone else, not even Robb Stark.
Finally, Drogon and the red dragon landed just across them. Drogon and the red dragon roared to Rhaegal and Viserion, but Rhaenys could tell that they were not roaring out of malice. After both lowered their bodies closer to the ground, out came not two but three people. Once those three were clear of their mounts, Drogon and the red dragon flew back into the air, with Viserion following them. Rhaenys allowed Rhaegal to follow, while the dragonriders had to look at each other and treat with one another.
Rhaenys recognized Daenerys and Daeron quickly, for she had seen them before in the dragon dreams. However, she did not recognize the little girl who came behind Daeron. From what she could assess, she was a northerner. But from her eyes, she recognized a killer, a gaze that Rhaenys had become all too familiar with.
Tyrion, along with the others, bent the knee in welcome to their queen. All except Rhaenys and Robb Stark, who remained standing alongside his direwolf Grey Wind. His eyes were fixed on the little northern girl, tears flowing down his face.
"Jon? Arya?" Robb was close to losing his self-control.
"Arya?" Rhaenys whispered. She remembered Robb Stark talking about his family, with Arya being his youngest sister, but Robb thought her dead after the events of King's Landing.
Daeron and Arya stood there, their eyes communicating their disbelief. Rhaenys could understand their response, for Robb Stark was known to be dead as far as many people were concerned. And given the looks on their face, it was clear that they were all close, and that the news of Robb Stark's supposed death had greatly affected them. Meanwhile, Daenerys looked at their faces, confused as to what was going on but she also must have some idea on who Robb was.
For Rhaenys, when she looked upon her half-brother, there was something about him that stirred some feelings in her. Although the dragon dreams allowed her to look upon him in his form, seeing him with her own eyes was an entirely different matter. His beard, his neck, his eyes, his face, his hair, and his well-built and powerful body evident through his armor. I wonder if there were other women besides our aunt who was with Daeron. But just as quickly, Rhaenys pushed it down, for she knew better than to let appearances determine her judgement of those she just met.
"Robb!" Arya ran forward and jumped into Robb's arms, brother and sister sobbing as they slowly knew that who they were seeing were real.
"Jon!" Daeron responded to Robb's call by walking fast towards him and joining in on the hug.
"I thought you were dead! I saw the head, Grey Wind's head on yours!" Arya let out.
"A falsehood, conjured by the Boltons and the Freys to curry favor with the Lannisters," Robb spat. "But mother died getting me out." Rhaenys could see that the memory was still fresh, for his lips trembled.
As for Arya, she scratched Grey Wind's ear, who was all too eager to get such attention while panting in delight. "So glad you are okay, boy."
Daeron grasped Robb's arms. "It is so good to see you, Robb."
Robb did not respond except with a tighter hug with the brother he grew up with.
While Daeron was occupied with the family he grew up in Winterfell, Rhaenys walked towards Daenerys. "Aunt Daenerys," Rhaenys answered cordially.
"Niece… my, you are a beauty, more than I could have imagined," Daenerys smiled warmly.
"And you are shorter that I thought you were," Rhaenys blurted out.
After a moment, Daenerys chuckled at her jest. "It is so nice to meet you, Rhaenys. At last."
Rhaenys has trying hard to hide her relief, but she was that. "Likewise, dear aunt."
I need more time.
Dickon Tarly grasped the reins of his warhorse as he rode through the streets of King's Landing, with his mother and sister Talla in a carriage, surrounded by members of the goldcloaks and the those sworn to House Tarly. Dickon knew that while no one would dare try to actively harm him and his family, he had to remain on guard, particularly given what he had heard about the amont of unrest in the city.
The reason why Dickon was escorting his mother and sister to King's Landing was because all of them were representing his father, Randyll Tarly, the Lord of Horn's Hill and the most powerful of the Reach's marcher lords. They were there at the request of both Margaery Tyrell and the Queen of Thorns themselves, but for what exact reason, they were not made aware of. However, given that the Lannisters and their Baratheon puppet had both surrendered the security and prosperity of Westeros to the dogs, the Tyrells were the only ones that were preventing a total collapse of law and order.
Randyll Tarly, having observed the events silently in his castle, was quick to respond to the request of his Lord Paramount. He promised to send five hundred men to back the Tyrell bannermen already in King's Landing, and he also deemed that it was time to make inquiries on who Talla's husband will be, which was why he sent both her and their mother with Dickon and the Tarly men.
"With Samwell away on the Wall, you are my heir. Therefore, I will trust that you will represent our house well not just to the people of King's Landing, but most importantly at court," Randyll told Dickon. "I also will entrust the task of finding your future goodbrother while there."
Dickon gulped. "Father, I am not sure if I am qualified to do that. I love Talla, so maybe mother should do that."
"Your mother will help her, but I will allow you to make the final decision," Randyll replied. "And you also need a wife, so while Talla is looking for her husband, you should look for a wife also."
Dickon was immediately overwhelmed, but he kept his posture straight. "I feel that with everything going on, father, it is all too soon."
Randyll kept a straight face. "Nonsense. With many eligible houses and the desperate times we are in, we can choose for ourselves while negotiating the best possible dowries, both for Talla and for yourself."
"But I still have more years ahead of me, and I have yet to lead our men into battle."
"Then this will be the time to apply everything that you have learned. As you rightly said, you have to lead them into battle, so this will be a good chance for you."
Dickon saw that his father's mind was already made up, so he just nodded his head and accepted the task.
As Dickon, Talla, and their mother went towards the northern Reach and then the crownlands, the feelings that he sensed among the smallfolk could only be described by one word: hostile. Gone were the tranquil days that defined Robert Baratheon's reign, as the war among the five kings, now reduced to three, had raged for far too long. Taxes were high, harvests were taken, and men and boys pressed into service. The kingswood and the lands bording the stormlands were bloodbaths, while King Joffrey and the small council were not doing enough to obtain peace in Westeros. House Tarly itself had lost one thousand men to Stannis' swords, so every house in the Reach were becoming tired of fighting for too long.
Joffrey might be the king, but he is doing a terrible job at it. When will someone make him see sense? Dickon might have been eager to prove himself on the field of battle, but after hearing of how the Tarly men suffered under the hands of Stannis' troops, he started to wonder if they were fighting for the right cause.
Meanwhile, the wildlings had penetrated the Wall and the entire eastern half of the North was taken, with rumors spreading that the wildlings were about to make a move on White Harbor. Not only did the Boltons fail to prevent infighting among the northern houses, the Valemen were supporting Sansa Stark in her quest to reclaim Winterfell. On top of that, the Lannisters were not sending reinforcements, showing to many that they were not performing their duties as "Protector of the Realm." To say that the Lannisters and King Joffrey had become very unpopular would have been an understatement, as it had been more than a few years since Westeros experienced peace and there was no end in sight.
However, the first thought that Dickon had when he heard that the Night's Watch have been overwhelmed was about Samwell. He loved his older brother, but he was too cowardly to stand up for him when their father relentlessly tormented him. He might have been the heir to Horn's Hill for now, but he did not necessarily enjoy the position. Father, and the Seven, please keep Sam safe. No matter where he was, please allow him to return home, Dickon prayed.
Eventually, Dickon and the Tarly force arrived in King's Landing, where they were greeted by a company from the City Watch led by Ser Loras Tyrell.
"Ser Loras, good to see you again," Dickon shook his hand.
"Likewise, Lord Dickon," Ser Loras smiled. "Good to have someone like you here in this city." He then noticed Talla and their mother in the carriage, dipping his head in respect. "My ladies, welcome to King's Landing. We were made aware of your arrival and have arranged the necessary accommodations for you at the Red Keep."
"We are grateful, Ser Loras," their mother said.
"Lead the way, good ser, please," Dickon gestured to Ser Loras.
Even though he had never been in this city before, Dickon did not like the route they chose, which went through some of the most densely parts of King's Landing, particularly Flea Bottom. Even though Dickon had no reason to mistrust Ser Loras or the goldcloaks, their party was too exposed despite the heavy guard around especially Talla and their mother, which was why Dickon insisted on riding with them until they reached the Red Keep.
What made Dickon more unnerved was how the smallfolk of Flea Bottom were silent and looked at all of them with indifference. Under normal circumstances, Dickon would not have minded. However, he saw that they had the same stare that the other smallfolk in the northern Reach and the crownlands had, the kind of stare that expressed exhaustion, rage, anger, and every other negative feeling. Even though Dickon had noble blood, the losses that House Tarly suffered made him realize that their power was only as good as how many they could command, all of them smallfolk. And with one thousand Tarly men dead, House Tarly's power was somewhat dented and he could only imagine how their families felt. There was just too much tension in the air, which might have been blamed on the situation of the war, but it was just too risky for Dickon to remain in the open for long.
Finally, Dickon moved next to Ser Loras Tyrell on their horses. "Ser Loras, I think it is best we cut this tour short."
"You sense it too, my lord?" Ser Loras looked at him. Far from being the arrogant knight from when Renly tried to take the throne, his eyes were sharp and he already knew what was on his mind.
"Something is not right here. I did not expect a welcoming party for myself, my mother, and my sister, but look at their eyes. They seem to want to kill us."
"Agreed," Ser Loras nodded. "We should hurry up to the Red Keep and secure it."
"Sounds good, Ser Loras," Dickon nodded. "We have to pick up the pace."
Ser Loras bobbed his head while Dickon moved next to the carriage. "We might be going through some trouble, but no matter what happens, just stay in here."
"Is something wrong, Dickon?" their mother asked.
"I am sure it is nothing, but we will be moving faster. I just want to let you know."
But as Dickon was quicken the pace and as Talla pulled her the screen of her carriage door, someone shouted, "Those highborn shits caused the war! Get them!"
Suddenly, a mob comprised of almost the entirety of Flea Bottom formed and surged onto the party of armed men escorting the carriage. The men of the goldcloaks drew their swords and fought to stem the tide, but it was too much for them, as they were quickly overwhelmed.
As for Dickon and Loras Tyrell, they both held hung back and fought them off as the mob was about to swarm the carriage.
"Where's Ser Addam?" Dickon asked desperately, knowing that they were outnumbered while unsure where Addam Marbrand, Lord Commander of the City Watch, was.
"I don't know, and I don't know if we can hold this," Ser Loras was just as afraid as he was. "But let us keep moving!" he urged as they continued to push their way through the crowd.
Then, their horses were punctured, causing both to fall down and fight on foot.
As it became harder for the both of them to fight, Dickon felt himself back-to-back with Ser Loars and his hands gripped tightly his sword, especially on the hilt. "We have to press on, Loras Tyrell."
"Just keep swinging," Loras Tyrell managed as more of the mob threatened to swarm the two.
Dickon sliced one man across the torso before parrying another's attempted strike with a club. Still holding on, he cut across his and another man's bellies. He then got yet another by striking his forehead with his sword's pommel before decapitating him. He punched one hard on the cheek before running him through and was able to catch another by kicking him hard on the chest, causing him to fall onto the ground.
Dickon glanced back at Loras Tyrell, who was faring similarly as he was. One of the Reach's best knights and the heir to a prominent Marcher house were more than a match for men who did not spend a single day in combat. And given that they were moving through some of the narrowest streets in Flea Bottom they could control how many could come at them from either and from all other directions.
But as the bodies piled up and the streets became more difficult to traverse, both Dickon and Loras Tyrell were being exhausted. Their training might have saved them, but there was just too many to count. And they did not know how long they could last.
Suddenly, the mob attacking grew wilder as Dickon could spot torches running through the throngs, causing them to go into a frenzy. Deciding to disregard the threat that came from both Dickon's and Loras Tyrell's better handling with the sword, the crowd rushed them, and many had grabbed onto Dickon's own blade. He felt at least five hands latch onto it and he knew that without it, he would be at their mercy. Must… save… Mother and Talla.
As Dickon moved as close to the carriage as possible, he heard men shouting and he saw more gold cloaks arrive. But to his shock, that did little to disperse the crowd, which told Dickon that something other than anger was motivating them.
But out of all the things that the mob had, a man struck Ser Loras in the head with a vase once he got close enough, smashing it so hard that blood came out of his wound. Seeing the second son of House Tyrell stunned, the mob rushed and shoved him down on the ground, grabbing his sword while beating him to death.
Alarmed, Dickon swung wildly at the crowd, using every bit of energy he had to protect the carriage. He lost count on how many were felled, but they soon grabbed his arms and were pulling him away from it.
Eventually, the gold cloaks forced their way through after felling many of the smallfolk, reaching Dickon before the mob were able to inflict serious damage onto his person. They finally ran away while the gold cloaks gave chase. One of them helped Dickon up, but he felt his forehead gashed and blood flowing down his face.
Dickon was shocked at the body of Ser Loras Tyrell, as he could not believe that one of the best knights was taken out by a mob. He knew that the consequences would follow, as House Tyrell would never let this go.
But then, Dickon instinctively made for the carriage. Throwing the doors open, he was relieved to see Talla alive, but he gasped as she held onto their mother, or the dead form that was run through by a sharpened stick. She was not breathing and her eyes remaining open.
Dickon ran into the carriage, pulled out the sharpened stick, and shook her shoulders. "Come on!" Dickon cried out, but their mother didn't respond as her breathing had stopped. Every other plea and attempt to get her back up was met with silence, causing Dickon to grow desperate. Their mother remained pale and he wouldn't open his amethyst orbs. "Come on!"
But after a few minutes of trying it and with tears forming in his eyes, Talla pushed him back, her eyes swelling. "Dickon, she's gone," she whimpered, her bloodied dress and face emphasizing to them both on their mother no longer in the land of the living.
Dickon rushed out of the carriage and yelled to any of the gold cloaks. "Get help!" He repeated his plea for help, but it was increasingly pointless and anyone who responded woud move too slowly. Finally, he dropped to his knees, his failure of protecting his mother finally hitting him. He slouched his head down, crying softly as the stench of death filled the air and the blood splashed around his knees.
"Samwell… father… I'm so sorry. I—I am so sorry," he kept saying as he sobbed.
A/N: Battle was based on Okpo (1592), Yi Sun-Sin's first major victory.
Varys is not acting logically, but who would when it comes to family?
Rhaenys finally meets Jon and Daenerys, while Jon and Arya have a tearful reunion with Robb at Meereen.
And so... Loras and Lady Melessa Tarly are among the casualties of the riot in King's Landing, another one. I personally do not like Loras, but his and Lady Tarly's death are necessary for the next steps, while Tywin will be caught in a vice since Westeros is falling apart.
