A small armada of ships slowly crossed the water into Blackwater Bay in the direction of King's Landing. They bore the sigils of the Greyjoys, the Second Sons and the Golden Company, a collective that would have seemed impossible such a short time ago. The calmness of the water they were traversing over was in stark contrast to the chaos and disarray that was soon to happen if everything went according to plan. They had put forward multiple options on how to attack the city, many of which were quite impossible and too full of risk. It wasn't meant to be easy, claiming the seat of power for the kingdom. That wasn't to say that the plan they had finally agreed upon wasn't full of risk. It all depended on things that they couldn't control happening in the way they hoped. It would all be for nothing if that warlock Daenerys liked so much failed in his goals. For some reason, Melisandre had been far too upset to see him go. She had never shown such compassion towards him before and she was supposed to be working for him. With him, he reminded himself, as she'd often complained about the semantics. And, even then, he was now an understudy to Daenerys. He had to keep telling himself why he was now playing that role, otherwise, his subconscious thoughts would take over.

Stannis walked to the front of the ship, trying to see if their enemies had spotted them yet. It wouldn't be long, he told himself. They weren't exactly a small party, although they definitely weren't as large as they could have been. Daenerys had decided on that. To be fair to her, he did feel as if she was approaching this well, using her council to formulate these tactics. It was all down to chance, he repeated in his head. As he observed their surroundings carefully, hardly any noise heard apart from the ship's hull breaking the water and the few soldiers around him tentatively moving about, he thought back to those who had stayed behind. Many of their army, mainly those not from a Westerosi background, had stayed at Highgarden under the protection of Olenna Tyrell, as had anyone who couldn't fight. That meant Selyse, his wife, and Shireen were waiting anxiously for when the news came of their victory. Or defeat. It was no time to think of that likelihood. He was doing this for them, no matter what the outcome was. That was down to Fate.

He was brought out of his warring mind when a low horn was sounded from the top of the mast. Up ahead, the capital's own fleet was camped, with the Red Keep visible high up above them. He really hoped this plan would work. He didn't reach for his sword. Neither did any of the sailors. There would be no need for that. It was now time to see if Fate was on their side.

xxxxxxxxxx

"My Lord," came the shout across the ship. Euron Greyjoy looked up as one of his men alerted him to something going on. And it sounded bad. Which meant it was going to be good. He raced towards the side of the ship, leaning over in curiosity as he searched to where men were pointing. They were all springing into action like they had been trained to do. A well-oiled machine, which was why the Greyjoy house was so revered on the water. But he was not participating in their preparations. A hungry smile filled his face as he saw what had got his men so excited. He'd been told that an attack was likely by the king but he had never considered them to be so bold as to target the bay first, out in the open. A youngish sailor came hurrying up to him, already out of breath due to the frantic nature of the commotion.

"Should we ready the Scorpions, sir?" he asked. Foolish boy. All of their ships had been fitted with the king's new toys, making them even deadlier than they usually were. There was no sight of dragons, though, which were their main target. And if they just destroyed these ships, they'd probably be sucked into a trap. It was obviously a distraction and whilst they focused their firepower on the boats, they would likely be passed overhead. No. They needed to approach and fight. Board those traitorous vessels and make them wish they had never turned their backs on the rightful leader. Yet, even he knew that wasn't his true motivation. He'd been made angry by seeing his house banner blowing in the wind on the other ships. He wondered if he would come across his disloyal family members. That brought another smile to his face.

"Don't bother. Prepare all ships to sail towards the target. Surround them. We outnumber them so that shouldn't be an issue."

"Should we alert the mainland that an attack has begun, sir?"

"No. We'll deal with this by ourselves easily. No need to worry the little shit wearing the crown." The young man hesitated, looking as if he was trying to find the courage to debate such tactics, before scuttling off to send the message. More shouts around him as he stayed still, brimming with a vengeful lust. The ship began to move, the spearhead of their formation as it was the largest. He let out an animalistic cackle.

xxxxxxxxxx

"Are you going to explain to me what is going on?" Gendry asked with little patience as Bruda directed him towards the main street of King's Landing. What was surprising him was how fast the old man could walk. He was struggling to keep up as the warlock rushed through a maze of side streets, stopping him suddenly as they got to his next destination. The main road that connected the city gates to the Red Keep was littered with people, many filtering from their stacked up houses that surrounded either side of the street. People were yelling at each other, some more pleasant words than others. But Bruda was focusing not on them but the soldiers that lined the gate, blocking anyone entry towards the Keep or the city walls. That would soon be sorted though. Hopefully.

"There isn't a lot of time to go into detail," Bruda responded with his usual briskness. "As you can see, I'm a bit preoccupied." He went to lean on his staff before he remembered that he had left it under the protection of Daenerys. She had presumed it was so that he blended in more easily with the crowd; he didn't want to get all soppy and tell her it was an extra layer of protection, just in case. He wasn't planning on losing her when they had got so close to the finish line.

"Why should I do whatever you say if you don't tell me anything?" The old man gave him a sideways glance.

"You're the one who decided to follow me. Why did you do that? You don't know me at all. And yet you trusted me enough to drop everything you were doing because I asked." Gendry looked to the floor, twisting the large weapon in his hands around to occupy himself. Bruda let out a sigh. "You've been waiting for something like this to happen for a while now, haven't you? Bored of the mundane life you now live after a brief exposure to some excitement?"

"I was a prisoner," he said as they continued to creep forward, still surveying the armed guards. "Of Stannis Baratheon, for a while. This strange woman wanted me because I was related to the king. A bastard son. But I escaped. Kept my head down. Just not the same after being plunged into that world of political intrigue and plots."

"You're really not going to like who I work with then," Bruda muttered.

"Why? Who are you in league with? Stannis? That woman? Who sent you? No one knows I'm here."

"Your old friend Davos Seaworth," he answered, stopping Gendry in his tracks. "He felt that he could trust you with protecting me. You're my muscle."

"Wait a minute. Why do I need to protect you? I can't do anything unless you tell me what is going on!" Bruda hushed him as a soldier walked past the alley they were hiding in. He pushed him down slowly so that they were both in crouching positions.

"This city is about to be attacked. Actually…" he paused, looking up to the sky as he thought for a moment. "It is probably in the process of being attacked right now."

"By whoever you're working for."

"Exactly. Daenerys Targaryen is about to come banging on those city doors but she can't do anything whilst the new defences are operational."

"What's she like?" Gendry asked, changing the topic and causing Bruda to look at him strangely. "There's been a lot of talk about her in the streets. Excited mutterings really."

"She's a leader. Brave. Cunning. And smart. But also not a killer. She doesn't want a war. She doesn't want there to be unnecessary death unless that's her last option. I'm sure you've heard about the weapons the king has made."

"Not a lot. People say that they were designed by his freakish maester who keeps to the dungeons deep in the Keep. Dragon killers, people call 'em, but I don't know why they'd need that."

"Targaryen. Her last name. Think. You've heard the stories." Gendry's eyes widened.

"No way!" Bruda hushed him again.

"If we can take them out, all she has to do is fly over to the Keep and roast the little twerp for supper."

"But we have to get past those guards if we are to have any chance of getting to them."

"That shouldn't be a problem." They stood up quickly as shouts began to fill the air. Soldiers were relaying hurried messages as orders were barked out. There was a scramble as men clad in gold armour, armed with longswords, began to hurry to the main gate that protected the capital.

"What's going on now?"

"She's banging on the front door."

xxxxxxxxxx

Daenerys climbed off her horse with a steely expression on her face. As usual, she was flanked by Jorah and, with Bruda's absence, Davos, who were both still on their horses. Tyrion was riding along as well, even after she had suggested he shouldn't. Although Varys and Missandei had wisely decided to stay at Highgarden since they would not be able to help fight, Tyrion had explained how he still thought it possible to talk some sense into his nephew before any battle started. She had wanted to tell him it was a lost cause but he had pleaded strongly. It was worth a shot at least. Behind them, marched her army, several thousand men all wearing armour. An eclectic mix of allegiances although they were all loyal to her. It consisted of the Greyjoy soldiers, kept away from their ships just in case they joined Euron at the last minute, Stannis' amassed numbers, the Tyrell faction gratefully given by Olenna after their meeting, and the bulk of it was made up of the Golden Company. She never thought that she would use sellswords because of their tendency to switch sides if they felt a battle was turning but this was necessary. Not only did it mean it swelled her numbers considerably, but it also meant they would not be on the side of the Crown, which was the likely alternative.

In front of them was the city wall, taller than she had imagined. It showed her how petrified the past rulers had been of losing the power they had taken from someone else. It was an endless cycle that she wanted to put to an end. She understood how that power could change and corrupt a person. She understood how, once she claimed that position, it had the capability of doing the same to her. But she also understood how she had people by her side who would prevent that from happening, even if she disapproved of her actions. She questioned how calm she would be if she were attempting to take the city without the support of her council, especially Jorah and Bruda. She dreaded what lengths she would have gone to in order to win. She eyed the large crossbows that were placed on top of the wall, directed towards them. Even from a distance, she could tell how large they were. She hoped that Bruda would succeed in dealing with them, although she still didn't fully know how he would accomplish their plan. She looked behind her at her advisors.

"How long?" she asked simply.

"They'll have noticed our presence already," Jorah answered. "As we wanted them to."

"Now we wait," Tyrion said.

xxxxxxxxxx

Qyburn hurried through the dark corridors of the Red Keep, his cloak almost tripping him up a few times. He wasn't hurrying out of fear, though. This was soon to be the young king's greatest triumph. They would write stories in the future about this victory, how he defended the city against the deadly attack of the Dragon Queen. And he would be by the king's side, the man who made it all possible. It would be impossible for them to take out so many scorpions that lined the walls, as well as the ones that had been fitted onto their naval rearguard at the bequest of Euron. He didn't particularly like the Greyjoy leader but he had a thirst for blood that was commendable. They needed more men like him, who would do anything to win. That's all he had done. He had sacrificed his place in the Citadel to be able to actually achieve something that would change the world. The Scorpions were just the start and, once King Tommen was properly secure on the Throne, he would be allowed to go further with his experiments and tests.

He reached the door of Tommen's bed chambers and knocked politely. He was bid entry and slowly walked into the room, not bothering to close the door behind him. They needed to act now whilst she still thought she had the advantage. There was no way she could even know about their new weapons. He could almost smile he was that confident of victory. Tommen was staring out the window, overlooking his city, pondering what the day would bring. Qyburn coughed to get his attention back.

"Your Grace," he said, "we have word from the Kingsguard. Daenerys Targaryen marches upon us with her army." Tommen turned around, unable to find words for a moment.

"How many?"

"I'm led to believe several thousand support her. But that is an insignificant factor, sire. They will not be able to get past the city walls."

"Dragons?"

"No mention of them yet. But I doubt that they will not be here soon. Yet, as you know, they will not affect the outcome either. There is no way she can get past."

"Then what is she doing?" Tommen asked irritably.

"Waiting, it seems."

"Then let's go meet her. It's rude to keep our guests waiting for our arrival."

xxxxxxxxxx

A member of the Kingsguard, running in the opposite direction to his comrades so that he could alert the rest of their number, collapsed to the ground unexpectedly for no visible reason apart from a sharp burst of golden energy that quickly disappeared into the air. Gendry pulled the body into the dark alley they were hiding in so that none of the others would notice their partner had fallen already. He looked at Bruda expectantly, waiting for him to explain why he had attacked the soldier.

"Put it on," he said.

"What?" Gendry asked, confused.

"Put it on. The armour. No one else will be walking around the city now because it's on high alert. So we'd instantly get spotted. But, if they think you're a guard and I'm just a simple prisoner, they'll hardly bat an eyelid." Gendry did as he was told and it took him a few minutes to first get the armour off of the dead body, apologising every so often when he dropped the corpse accidentally (Bruda explaining to him that the man was dead so he wouldn't feel any of the pain, rendering his apologies useless), and then put it all on himself. With the large, golden helmet, it would be very difficult to tell him apart from the other soldiers.

"So what are we going to say if someone asks what we're doing?"

"I'm not going to say anything. Because that would be strange. Feel free to shove me around a bit, by the way. I've dealt with worse. No, you're going to tell them that I'm in league with Daenerys and the king wants me on display on the wall so he can gloat. He'll be on his way now, I'm betting. That was what we hoped anyway."

"So we're going to be surrounded by soldiers. What do you plan to do then?"

"If we aim for the furthest part of the wall, there should be fewer soldiers there. We'll be able to take them out quite easily I reckon since they'll likely all be archers. No good in an up-close fight. I need time to get to one of the Scorpions. The only way I can destroy them is by finding out what they all have in common." He looked at the younger man, who he could tell had a nervous expression on his face. "Don't worry though. There won't be anyone there."

"You reckon? We'd need some fucking good luck for that to happen."

"Or meticulous planning. Trust me - this is just the calm before the storm."

xxxxxxxxxx

The ships led by Euron wasted no time in circling the fleet headed by Stannis. If Daenerys' entire fleet had been there, it would have been a different outcome. But they wanted to be surrounded. Stannis had never felt though that it would be so easy to lure them into this false sense of security. He had heard stories of Euron's madness but this really showed it. He hadn't even thought of the peculiarity that the attacking ships were still to fire a shot. In fact, none of the ships had cannons on board. Daenerys had seen it as a waste of valuable resources. The rest of the fleet had been bulked up instead. Stannis' mind briefly wandered back to the last time he had been in this bay, when he had suffered an agonising defeat. Maybe this time he wouldn't be leading the army to victory, but at least he would be on the winning side this time. That was all that mattered for now.

They didn't retaliate as the main vessel, the one carrying Euron, sailed slowly next to them. They hardly moved as a long plank of wood was placed between the two ships. Euron, followed by a group of soldiers, smugly walked over the plank, a little jump announcing his arrival on deck. He surveyed his surroundings peculiarly. Something wasn't right, that was for sure. But that didn't matter. They had already won at a canter. They had basically surrendered. He marched over to Stannis, whose stoic expression had not changed since the crazed man had come into view. Euron was very close in front of him, Stannis feeling his hot, stinky breath on his face. He kept his neutral expression.

"Stannis Baratheon," Euron said with thinly veiled glee. "Oh, I've heard stories of you. I'm surprised you have the balls to show your face around here after you lost. Don't you remember? You wanted that throne and got your arse handed to you by a child. Pathetic." No show of emotion. He was ruining Euron's enjoyment. He hated it when they didn't play along with his games. "And now look at you. Not even in charge. You're just a puppet for that stupid little bitch. She's sent you here, on this ship, to die. Instructed not to fight back? You are a sacrifice. 'Cos she knows you're worthless. What did she do to make you agree to all of this? Suck your tiny, little cock?" No response. Euron wanted to shout but then he'd lose his cool. Then Stannis would know he was affecting him. "You're not a talker, are you?" He gestured to his soldiers, who began walking around deck, swords drawn. "Kill everyone on board." They did so. Screams and shouts could be heard as Stannis' men dropped to the ground without a fight. Euron didn't watch. He instead focused on Stannis, who still showed no emotional response. It didn't take long before they were all dead.

"That's everyone, my Lord," someone shouted as the last body dropped. That got Euron's attention. He looked at his man with an angry expression.

"Can't be!" he yelled. "That was hardly anyone!" He quickly moved over to a dead corpse and removed the helmet. Behind it was an old man. In fact, they were all old men on this ship, apart from Stannis. It was the same on the other ships as well. Those too old and sick to live on, who had volunteered to be a part of Daenerys' plan. Stannis was there to sell the attack's authenticity. Euron stepped back to his opponent. "Where is everyone? There aren't enough people here to sail a ship, let alone attack the city." And that was when Stannis' expression changed, a smirk growing on his face.

xxxxxxxxxx

Tommen stood on the top of the city wall, Kevan Lannister standing by his side. He had sent word to the High Sparrow to meet them there but he had received a message back that he would do nothing of the sort. He planned to deal with such blatant insubordination later, once this little distraction was taken care of. He looked down upon Daenerys, his crown glimmering in the sun, and had to say he was mightily underwhelmed. It was true that she had a large enough army. He guessed that was somewhat impressive, a foreigner gaining so much support in the kingdom. But an army is only as strong as its leader and she did not seem strong at all. She was young, although probably older than him. But what he lacked in age, he made up in experience. He had lived this life since he was born; she was just a pretender. He wanted to show everyone that this was the case. That was the reason why he had Scorpions on top of every turret of the wall, all pointing directly at the opposing army.

The large gates opened as a small figure left the safety of the city. Daenerys couldn't make out who it was but they were unarmed, which was a positive sign. She looked up at Tommen, who she could tell was wearing the smug smile of someone who thought they could never lose. Tyrion knew who it was as Qyburn's features became discernible. There was a palpable tension as he walked closer and the Imp, giving one last, brief look at his queen, started walking towards him. They did not rush. Whoever walked the fastest would seem the keenest. They would lose an edge in this political tussle. As they reached one another, they stopped for a moment before the maester spoke first.

"My Lord," he greeted, slightly bowing his head.. Tyrion didn't bother reciprocating the same pleasantries.

"Queen Daenerys demands the immediate and unconditional surrender of King Tommen."

"King Tommen demands the immediate and unconditional surrender of Queen Daenerys, otherwise he will be forced to strike." This was never going to be easy.

"Qyburn...you're a rational man." He hated giving him any form of compliment because he knew what he was capable of.

"Or so I flatter myself, my Lord," he returned with a smirk.

"We have a chance here. Perhaps our last chance to avoid carnage."

"Yes," he said without any indication that he wanted to avoid such carnage.

"Help me. I don't want to see this city burn. I don't want to hear the screams of children burning alive." Surely there was still a chance he could make the maester see sense.

"No, it is not a pleasant sound." Tyrion didn't want to dwell on how he knew what it sounded like. "Alas, I am just the mouthpiece of our King."

"Your King."

"Our King," Qyburn repeated with an edge to his voice this time. "King Tommen rules over the Seven Kingdoms, which you are a part of. You are his subject."

"His reign is over," Tyrion countered, trying a different approach. "You understand this. Help him understand this."

"We understand nothing of the sort. Your army is smaller than we were told. Your dragons are nonexistent and would not be able to get anywhere near the city walls." Tyrion had had enough and marched past him. Daenerys tensed as he did so, seeing the archers lift their bows in unison, directing their weapons at the small man. Tyrion looked at his young nephew from afar, who had raised his hand in command. He waited for his decision. He wouldn't do it, Tyrion kept telling himself. But he had changed. He was no longer the boy he knew. After a few seconds of contemplation, whilst Tyrion sent him a pleading look, Tommen dropped his hand and the archers relaxed, falling back into their previous position. Tyrion let out a sigh of relief.

"I know you don't care about your people," he said to the king. "Why should you? They hate you and you hate them." No reaction from Tommen. "You are not a monster. I know this. You are just a boy, who has been put in a position he was not ready for. You needed help that you never got, throughout your entire life. I beg you...your reign is over but that does not mean your life has to end. You can finally get the help and recognition you have been starved of since you were a babe. Just surrender the city and no one has to die." He had done all he could. It was now or never. They waited for Tommen's response, who took a moment to look Daenerys in the eye.

"No."

xxxxxxxxxx

Maester Marwyn had been fascinated with the concept of wildfire ever since the hatching of Hidebyo in the Hightower of Old Town. He had wanted to examine the substance more closely so, with Bruda tagging along to be there for protection, he had visited the dragon on a number of occasions. The beast had been strangely receptive to his approaches, probably because he had been the one to be there when it came into the world. They had taken samples, studying its properties and how it compared to normal fire. It wasn't a new substance of course but it was a rare opportunity to get so close to it. And it had given him an idea, which he had passed on to the warlock almost immediately. It had cunning and the added bonus of being unexpected, which would be beneficial in a war. Daenerys had been open to the idea and the council had set to work on how to implement it.

That was why there were large glass bottles stacked underneath all of her ships that had sailed into Blackwater Bay, with a green substance floating around in all of them. They had just needed the Crown's fleet to get close enough, which they thankfully had done without any invitation. It had worked almost too well. Stannis wanted to gloat in the face of Euron but knew it was just too soon for that. The plan had to be finished first. Euron grabbed him by the throat and spittle sprayed on his face as he talked.

"What are you doing here?" he barked furiously. No response. "Why is no one here?" Nothing came out of his mouth again. Euron chucked him to the ground in frustration, unknowingly right next to one of those very canisters. Fate was on his side, it seemed. He'd been given a single match to keep in his pocket, which he now took out and lit by scraping it across one of the wooden panels. Euron looked at him strangely as he picked up the large bottle.

"How foolish of a fuck are you?" he asked as he threw the bottle in the air. It smashed on the deck, the fluid pouring out as Stannis dropped the match. As he did so, he began to run, jumping off the side of the ship as he set off the chain reaction. Green flames instantly engulfed the boat and both fleets were soon consumed by a world of wildfire, a massive explosion alerting everyone to what had happened.

xxxxxxxxxx

The wall practically shook as the blast from the explosion hit, a strong wind toppling a few of the archers off the side of the wall. Tommen looked around, dazed. He saw Tyrion give a shrug of his shoulders as if to say he had been warned. If he had been able to see Daenerys' face from that distance, he would have noticed the semblance of a smirk flicker on her face. She had given him every opportunity to run and now it was too late. Unless Bruda failed. But he wouldn't. He hadn't let her down so far during the time they had known each other.

A panic settled on the defenders of the city. Qyburn hurried back to the gates, slipping in quickly. Soldiers were hurrying away from their positions to see what had caused the explosion, leaving some areas dangerously undefended. The leader of the Kingsguard, who had been on top of the wall next to the king, wrapped his cloak around the young boy to hide and protect him.

"Get the King back to the Keep!" he ordered loudly, another soldier grabbing the arm of Tommen as they hurried away, Kevan following them promptly. They could all see black smoke from somewhere and soon it was evident that the bay had been hit. Tommen wanted to curse ever forming an alliance with that Euron. It seemed as though he were all bark and no bite. At least he still had the protection of the Scorpions.

xxxxxxxxxx

Bruda's eyes lit up as he saw the majority of soldiers head down in the direction of the bay, where the explosion had occurred. It had been their hope that, by making them feel there was no way anyone would be able to get into the city from the ground, they would pay less attention to guarding the inner workings of the capital. It was working a treat so far. He noticed Gendry looking around in confusion.

"I'm guessing that was your lot?" he asked, finally realising how much preparation had gone into this attack.

"We sacrificed some ships to take down their fleet. They'll be focused on that region of the area for a bit now as they try and fathom what happened. It will be chaos down there and the other thing we have on our side is that they're cocky. They think their defences are impenetrable." He gave him a sarcastic wave as he wiggled his fingers. "They haven't met me. But come on, we need to act fast. Get ready to do some work." They hurried across the street, everyone else too busy to see them, before reaching a locked gate that led to a staircase within the stone wall. Gendry was about to use his Warhammer to smash it off but Bruda beat him to it, a simple flick of the wrist sending it crashing to the floor with a few golden sparks. The other man looked at him in wild fascination so he gave him a wink and began heading up the stairs. There were, thankfully, no soldiers within the wall but they slowed down as they reached the top of one of the turrets. The warlock poked his head out of the door and spotted a group of five guards surrounding the nearest Scorpion. He placed a hand on Gendry's chest to stop him from charging out at that moment.

"Now, we could do this tactically. Or go in, all guns blazing. All that I care about is that you get me an opportunity to work with that great big crossbow. I can't afford too many distractions." Gendry nodded his head, gripped his Warhammer tightly and slowly stepped through the door. The first swing connected strongly with one of the soldier's head, his helmet doing nothing to prevent the quick and bloody death he soon experienced. The sound of the body hitting the floor alerted the other guards, who drew their swords at the sight of their comrade. Gendry wasn't as confident now when he saw how large they all were. Luckily for him, his weapon was much larger than theirs so he could block multiple attacks at a time. As one sword came towards him, he parried, crushing the hand that was holding it. The guard let out an anguished cry as his sword clattered to the ground, before deciding to charge at Gendry. Caught unawares, he was tackled and was shoved into the wall, sparing a moment to look at the great height they were fighting at, which didn't help at all. He kicked out at the man on top of him and, as he charged again, he moved out of the way just in time. He stuck a leg out, tripping the soldier, sending him flying over the edge. Not wasting a moment, he picked up his hammer again, holding it with both hands as he blocked two simultaneous attacks. One guard came up behind but he used the end of it to hit him in the chest. Expecting the same result as last time, with the soldier heading for the edge, he didn't expect a hand to reach out and grab him. He was being pulled off as well until the hand was removed from its arm, a spray of blood filling the air and a scream heard briefly as the soldier fell down off the side. Gendry looked at Bruda, who had emerged from his hiding spot to help him.

The warlock hurried up to the Scorpion as Gendry took on the two remaining soldiers. These were the two largest men out of the group so he was having to hold on and simply defend his position instead of going on the attack. It was taking a lot of effort for him to fend them off as they tried to use brute force. He looked over at Bruda, who was messing around with the contraption as he tried to find what he was looking for.

"It would be a great help if you could hurry up!" Gendry shouted as he parried another swing of a sword. Bruda rolled his eyes and waved his hand, one of the soldiers falling over before the Warhammer came crashing down on their face. He focused back on reaching into the centre of the Scorpion.

"Just a moment! I need...to find...the main rod of metal," he said as he stretched uncomfortably in his search. His eyes widened as he finally found it. "Ha! Got it!" He closed his eyes as he felt it, trying to ascertain what metal it was. "Now that's interesting. Steel. But only found in these parts. Far too expensive to use in most stuff but they've splashed out because it's so strong. Which helps to do this." He turned the scorpion in the direction of the closest one on the next turret. Holding his hand on the metal, he closed his eyes again as a golden glow appeared. Then, the other scorpions began to glow in the same area. They could see guards in the distance move about in an alarmed fashion, not knowing what was happening. His face scrunched up in effort, Bruda clicked his fingers and the other scorpions began to turn to face one another. The guard Gendry was fighting let out a shout as he saw what he was doing, shoving the younger man to the floor as he raced over to Bruda. But it was too late. With a grin, the warlock let off the first Scorpion. The arrow shot out, firing into the next, causing it to fire as well. The cycle continued as every Scorpion began to shatter into shards of wood and metal, killing most soldiers who were near them. It was a satisfying thing to watch as the entire wall saw its defences crumble one after the other.

xxxxxxxxxx

On the ground, Tommen looked on in alarm and fear as he saw Scorpion upon Scorpion destroyed right in front of his eyes. He saw guards falling off the edge, meeting gruesome ends as they connected with the floor, but he hardly registered what was happening to them. He saw people, harmless civilians who should have been the ones punished instead of him, worriedly looking out of their homes as events unfolded, soldiers telling them to get back inside, which most did. But he didn't really process that side of things. His mind was focused on his downfall. The Scorpions were gone. The city was practically defenceless now against an aerial attack, which he reckoned was soon to come. He wouldn't have been able to move if it wasn't for the soldier shoving him in the general direction of the Red Keep. It didn't matter anymore. The Keep was an almost impenetrable defence but only when the enemy was on foot. Daenerys Targaryen would be able to just fly over the walls and burn it to the ground if she so wished, taking him with it. No. If he was going to lose...if he couldn't have the kingdom...then she wouldn't be able to have it either. He grabbed the arm of Kevan Lannister roughly, whose eyes were darting around to try and take in the destruction that had happened around them.

"My King?" he asked in worry.

"They're taking me to the Keep. You're not to follow. I order you to head to the Great Sept." Kevan's face fell at the implications. "You know what our last resorts are. My mother had a plan in place if the day came when everything went wrong. Today is that day."

"You can't possibly think that this is a viable option."

"Dare to question the king again and you will be the first to face her dragon on my behalf. Do as you are told." There was a brief pause as he questioned the instruction before Kevan reluctantly nodded his head and began walking towards his final destination. This would be a dark day in the kingdom's history.

xxxxxxxxxx

Daenerys' army began to shout and cheer, as well as banging their weapons against shields, when they saw the Scorpions erupt into a world of splinters. Her council let out a collective sigh of relief at the sight, the major barrier to their victory being lifted. Daenerys didn't outwardly smile although, on the inside, she was brimming with happiness. Once again, her warlock had come to her aid and done what was thought impossible. He was due a reward for his services, which everyone would be getting once she was ruler. But she was not getting ahead of herself. There was still one very important thing to be done. She made eye contact with Jorah, who nodded his head, as if to say it was time for her to reach her destiny.

Multiple roars came from the sky and, this time, she allowed a smile to fill her face. Everything was going to plan. And now her dragons were here. They cast large shadows on the ground as they flew overhead. The phew soldiers still on the wall, recovering from any wounds they had suffered from the destruction, began to run away terrified at the sight of the beasts. Drogon was the first to land, in front of the army and council. The other three settled themselves on large areas of rock either side of the collective, letting out satisfied roars. Daenerys began to walk over to the main dragon, her smaller than usual council following close behind her. As she gently stroked the scales of Drogon, the men got off their horses to say their farewells, even if they knew they would be seeing her soon.

"Don't worry, your Grace," Davos said, the tone and accent of his voice reassuring her. "We'll have everything sorted down here. Just try not to take too long, will you? We've done all of this to avoid significant damage."

"You don't have to remind me, Ser Davos," she replied, sending him a warm smile. Tyrion then stepped towards her. He gestured to the sword by his side.

"I seem to have been given a weapon by mistake. For some reason, they expect me to fight. It's been quite a while since I did so. But I've managed to survive thus far," he quipped, trying to add some levity to the situation.

"I'm sorry it had to come to this." His smirk dropped at the realisation of what was about to happen.

"No, no. Do not apologise for what you have to do. I tried my best to convince him but, sadly, the Throne has poisoned the mind of a sweet, innocent boy. As it has to so many others." Her smile was the one to drop this time as she thought about his words. Would she become another victim of its persuasion? She pushed that to the back of her mind as she looked at Jorah, her trustful knight, who she swore had never looked at her with so much warmth and pride. She wasn't going to comment on the tears that seemed to be welling up in his eyes, mainly because she could feel the same thing happening to her.

"You could come with me," she offered.

"No. I need to make sure everything goes to plan here on the ground. And this is your moment. You have worked so hard to get here." She nodded her head. "Be the queen you were always meant to be." Another nod and she climbed onto the back of Drogon. With one last look and a roar from the dragon, they took off into the air. What they weren't expecting was Drogon letting out a breath of fire towards the wall, destroying the part where the large doors had once been. They were, after all, going to have to fight the oncoming army.

"So much for no significant damage," Davos sighed, as they got back on their horses and drew their swords.

xxxxxxxxxx

Kevan Lannister nervously walked into the Great Sept of Baelor, entering through its large doors. Walking inside, the difference in noise levels within compared to the chaos that was happening outside was deeply unsettling. It just exemplified how disconnected the Faith had become from the local society. He told himself that that didn't matter anymore, or it wouldn't matter in a few moments to be precise. His hands shook as the thought of what he was about to do. His allegiance to the Crown and King was paramount, of course. But wasn't it his duty as a human to protect others when the person who was meant to watch over them was willing to let them die? Wasn't that why he had become involved in this stupid, petty game? To help others? Or was he just lying to himself? He feared that it was the latter.

He found the High Sparrow standing in front of one of the large statues that represented the gods of the Faith, his eyes closed in contemplation. As Kevan approached, his footsteps echoing across the strangely empty room, he opened his eyes and looked upon the dishevelled visitor. He had been able to hear the beginnings of the disaster outside but wasn't too sure what was going on. From the look of his expression, it wasn't anything positive for them.

"What is the meaning of your visit?" he asked his fellow council member. None of the others, apart from the king, had recently entered the Sept. Not many people did.

"Daenerys Targaryen and her army have arrived. The city defences have fallen and our forces are scattered across the region due to an earlier attack."

"It seems that King Tommen's reign has reached its inevitable gruesome end."

"You never had faith in the boy? Why would you support him if you felt this way?" Kevan asked accusingly.

"He was the king. It is not, and never will be, my duty to determine whether they are fit for their job. That is for the men of politics. My role is to look out for the people."

"Then you will be remembered for your failure."

"What do you mean?"

"The king knows that the city is sure to fall. The Targaryen girl is joined by her dragons, meaning she cannot be stopped from reaching the Keep. But the king is not willing to be the only loser today." The Sparrow's face fell.

"You can't mean…"

"He knows about the preparations put in place by the last Targaryen king, the ones further developed by his mother. He has ordered for me to carry out my duty...and destroy the city. So that Daenerys Targaryen will never be queen."

"I can't possibly let you do that," the Sparrow said, standing in front of him.

"It is not down to you. It is not down to me. The king has spoken and we must follow his orders."

"Innocent people will die! If he is bound to lose, then why still support him?"

"Remove yourself from here and you might yet survive."

"You avoid the question. You know that I speak the truth. Please...see sense." Kevan drew his sword, pointing it directly at the older man, who baulked at the action. He couldn't kill him. It didn't sit well with him. Instead, he turned his sword and hit the Sparrow hard on the side of his head with the blunt end, knocking him to the ground, as he walked deeper into the Sept where the stores were.

xxxxxxxxxx

Jorah's sword clashed with a kingsguard's weapon as he took on another opponent in the streets of King's Landing. As soon as the wall had tumbled, the city's army had quickly descended upon them but, with the addition of the Golden Company, they outnumbered them greatly. It wasn't about gaining a military victory now; this was all to stall the soldiers whilst Daenerys dealt with Tommen, which was why, when he shoved the other man to the ground with his brute force, he simply knocked him out instead of killing him. Some of the soldiers had asked why they were not deploying the dragons, who were waiting outside the capital's boundaries. Davos had been forced to explain, whilst taking on an opponent clad in gold armour, that their plan was to minimise the number of casualties, mainly focused on not killing any civilians. Most of them were still in the homes, fearfully watching as the battle surged through the streets. The issue was that some of the archers that were still alive were using flaming arrows to cause more damage, which was making the homes vulnerable.

Davos watched in horror as one such arrow connected with some poorly placed straw outside one of the buildings, spreading fire dangerously quick towards it. Parrying an attack, he ran towards the building as he wanted to help any of the people stuck inside, even though being on the streets would be just as dangerous. Just before he reached there though, delayed by yet another attack, a large spurt of water came over him, dousing the fire before it properly reached the house. He and Jorah looked in the direction of where it had come from and saw Bruda standing behind Gendry as he used his Warhammer to defend the warlock. He made eye contact with Jorah and shouted towards him.

"Staff!" His eyes widened as he realised it was still on his horse, which he had left outside the city walls once he had met the enemy head-on. Nodding his head, he began charging back to the remnants of the doors to get the warlock's staff. Bruda's presence was a major plus in the battle since he would be able to deal with enemies without killing them. But they desperately needed Daenerys to act fast.

xxxxxxxxxx

Kevan stepped down the stairs, ignoring the cobwebs that lined the stone walls, as he prepared himself. He had to support himself by placing his hand tightly on the handrail as he descended. The door that housed the cause of destruction was unambiguous. If he hadn't have known where to come, he would have walked past it like he had done with every other door behind it. But, now that he knew what it contained behind it, it seemed to glow in front of him, his feet almost being dragged towards it against his will. This was for the king, he told himself. Any other self-sacrificing council member would do the same, his mind kept repeating. His hand reached out, turning the doorknob and then he was inside. He looked on in astonishment at all the jars stacked on shelves, waiting to be unleashed. It was if they were whispering to him, trying to persuade him to do it. Trying to push him over the edge. He felt any last resolve he had slowly melt away as he gave into the voices. No wonder they called it wildfire. It had a life of its own that only the strongest wills could defeat. He had never been a resilient man.

Go on. Do it. Do as you're ordered.

All it takes is one match and then...poof. You will have saved the kingdom from the terror of another Targaryen.

See...this is the only option. The right option. You will be remembered as a hero. That's all you ever wanted, isn't it?

Do it.

It didn't take long to set the whole thing up. A thin piece of rope. Flammable fluid. It had all been put in place beforehand, just in case the time came when the deed had to be done in an instant. His hand hovered for a moment as he held the match. One action would surely change the kingdom forever.

"No!" He hadn't done a good enough job in knocking out the High Sparrow it seemed, as he stood at the top of the stairs with a helpless expression on his face. "Do not condemn the people of this city for the selfish needs of a young brat." Regardless, Kevan lit the match. The Sparrow's eyes widened and he raced down the stairs. He tried to wrestle the match away from the other man and the two of them struggled for a moment but Kevan had the upper hand and dropped the lit match to the ground. They both stared at it as the fire spread quickly towards the jars. The spell broke on Kevan as he realised what he had just done. They tried to scramble away but it was too late. Their worlds were filled with the green flames of wildfire.

xxxxxxxxxx

Bruda, now reunited with his staff after Jorah had found it, pushed back one attacker and took the momentary reprieve to catch his breath. Amidst all the chaos, with them taking a few hits in their efforts not to kill anyone, he could feel that something was wrong. He raced over to a narrow alleyway, away from the fighting, and closed his eyes as he tried to concentrate. He could feel something building up. Something unnatural but something that he had come into contact with before. It couldn't be…

Charging back into the battle, sending a member of the Kingsguard flying into a wooden cart that held goods to be sold, he looked past the rubble of where the wall had been. From a distance, he could see Hidebyo moving around in an agitated fashion, shaking his head and flapping his wings, which seemed to mean that he could sense the same thing. The dragon then took off in flight, heading towards where they were fighting. Archers pointlessly fired their weapons at the beast but they ricocheted off harmlessly, not deterring him in the slightest.

"Who caused that?" Davos shouted as people began to notice the presence of the orange animal. He kicked away a soldier as he looked around in anger. "We said no dragons!" Another kick and a swing of his sword. "Surely that is a simple enough instruction for you all to follow!" Tyrion, who had somehow managed to survive the carnage so far, made eye contact with the warlock and noted his serious and troubled expression. Instinctively, he placed his hand on the ground and felt a slight rumble coming from underneath. His eyes widened and his reaction told Bruda that his assumptions had been right. Panicking slightly, he looked around at all of their soldiers crammed into the main street. It would be impossible for them to run now. This large a group wouldn't be able to get through the hole in the wall. He also didn't know where the threat was coming from so wouldn't be able to conjure up a large enough or strong enough force of magic to stop it.

"Everybody!" he bellowed, his voice magically made louder. Most of the soldiers stopped at the interruption. He would have been proud if the situation hadn't been so dire. "Get to the ground now!" He ran over to Tyrion and Davos, Jorah following them, as he shoved them into the alley, placing his staff on the ground to be able to counter whatever it was that was about to happen. Both sides, confused by his words, followed suit, dropping to the floor and hiding under any protection they could find. That was just before the top of the Great Sept erupted in green flames, sending large pieces of rubble firing towards them. One soldier ran over to where they were cowering but was crushed by a particularly large piece of stone. Yet, before the wildfire could properly spread, Hidebyo dived towards the building, unfurling his wings to make himself larger. Born from the same substance, he was able to absorb the deadly flames before they could cause too much damage. He let out a loud cry as he collided with the demolished sept, landing with a heavy thud that sent a large cloud of ash surging through the streets. As the cloud slowly dispersed, those who had managed to avoid the debris got to their feet shakily. They looked around in confusion and then stared at the area where the Great Sept of Baelor had been. Bruda hurriedly walked over to the scene to take it all in, his comrades following him. He put a hand to his mouth as he saw the dragon slumped on the floor, unmoving.

"He could tell what was about to happen," the warlock said in a raspy whisper. "I doubt that the wildfire caused too much damage. It would have been the collis…" But then a wing slowly moved and Hidebyo's head appeared from underneath a pile of rocks. He let out a mighty roar as Rhaegal and Viserion joined them, swooping overhead. They looked around, dumbstruck, unable to fathom how the dragon had survived. The warlock reckoned it was something to do with the type of fire he had been born from. He had been perfectly suited to save them, as if his existence had been for that moment. Bruda wanted to laugh but then realised they were still in a battle. The four of them turned around and came face to face with the kingsguard. About to draw their weapons, they stopped as the leader dropped his sword to the ground, the other soldiers tentatively doing the same.

"That...creature saved us all. Our king tried to kill us whilst your Queen's beast saved us. We cannot fight you in good conscience now."

xxxxxxxxxx

Unaware of the potential disaster that had just been averted, Daenerys continued to cling onto Drogon. The dragon was now scaling up the Red Keep, his claws scraping off stone as he climbed higher. As she spotted through the window her goal, she ordered the beast to let loose, which he did, breathing a torrent of fire to destroy the wall. She kept herself from looking down as stone tumbled to the ground, damaging the lower rooftops below. She calmly stepped off Drogon's neck and was finally in the throne room. She had dreamt of this moment. She had experienced visions of this finally happening. She had never envisaged a young boy to be sat on the very throne she so desired. Tommen, still wearing his crown, had been waiting for her arrival. He had sent away all of his soldiers, knowing that, even if she got here, which was an inevitability, it would be for nought. The city was about to be destroyed. He wanted to see her face as it happened around them.

"Am I in your way?" he innocently asked as he twiddled with the goblet in his hand. He was slouching in the throne, mocking her. He would be the last one to sit upon it.

"Are we really going to play this game?" she retorted with little patience.

"Why not? Why should I make this easy for you?"

"Because I have won. The city has fallen. We don't want thousands of casualties. You could do the honourable thing and die a king you would have been proud to be." Tommen let out a mirthless chuckle.

"Do you really think this was about winning? You haven't won. No one can win. Not in this game."

"And yet I have."

"No! No you have not!" he shouted, taking her by surprise. "You're the Dragon Queen. So it is apt that you shall see this world burn because of you." A low rumble filled the room from a far off explosion. Daenerys turned around to look out the hole Drogon had made. She saw the Sept explode in front of her, her heart dropping as she thought of her men down there in the streets. "Any moment now...we will die together. This is as close as you will get." Unlike Daenerys, Tommen didn't see Hidebyo's heroics, stopping the destruction before it happened. She began to smirk. When the flames still hadn't reached them, Tommen began to worry. Daenerys turned around again to face him, enjoying the helpless look on his face.

"It seems that your last-ditch plan didn't work." Tommen took a sip from his glass, trying not to show the panic welling up inside him. He was failing. "You were willing to sacrifice all their lives to stop me. Your uncle told me stories about you from when you were younger. He talked about your innocence, your kindness…" She thought back to Tyrion's parting message. The power of the throne consumes and corrupts anyone who sits upon it. "Your mind has been poisoned by the position you are in."

"Do you expect me to give it up? Come any closer and I will kill you. I'm a man after all. You wouldn't stand a chance. And if I don't move from this seat, you cannot have it."

"That won't be a problem. I wanted to break the wheel. It appears that the seat you reside on is the cause of that still spinning. You wanted to end everything in a world of pain and fire. I grant you your wish. Dracarys." She saw his eyes widen briefly as he dropped the goblet. Drogon's head reappeared, blocking out the sun and casting a haunting shadow behind his opponent. The dragon opened his mouth and fire burst out from it, going straight towards Tommen and the throne. Daenerys stood there, not hurt by the flames as she watched the boy king scream in agony before he finally gave in to death. Where he had sat, there was nothing but a pile of ash. She began to smile as she saw that the fire had done its intended job. The Iron Throne was no more.